


What Happened to Zayn?

by HorrorJunkie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry Styles, Alpha Liam Payne, Alpha Louis Tomlinson, Alpha Niall Horan, Bottom Zayn, Cheating, I hate tagging, Just read the story and ignore my shitty tags, Kidnapping, Lies, M/M, Memory Loss, Moving On, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Omega Maya Henry, Omega Zayn Malik, Rebuilding a new life, Top Liam, Top Louis, past vs present
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:26:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27704108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HorrorJunkie/pseuds/HorrorJunkie
Summary: RUN! Those are the words that Zayn keeps hearing. Over and over he hears them so he listens. He runs until he drops. When he awakens in a hospital, he finds that the life he left behind no longer exists.Having been kidnapped and imprisoned for 5 years, Zayn struggles to accept his new place in life. His former fiancé has moved on. His friends don't quite know how to act around him. Struggling with his new reality, he finds solace in his art, in regaining his memories, in rebuilding his life and his new friendship with an alpha as out of place as he is.His new life is suddenly shifted as memories start to return and the ghosts of his past start to close in on him. Caught between his past life and his new one, Zayn has to find the strength once and for all to confront his demons and make his choice.
Relationships: Liam Payne/Maya Henry, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne, Zayn Malik/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 24
Kudos: 93





	1. Run!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a horrible human being. I know I shouldn't be starting a new story when I still have 2 in progress but what can I say? I love to write and these stories practically write themselves out of my extremely odd imagination. It's my first Ziam pairing so please be kind. ;-)

_ “Run! Keep running! Don’t stop. Don’t rest. KEEP RUNNING!” _

It was a mantra that kept pounding in his head. Over and over again the voice in his head that had helped him survive his time in the cells kept imploring him to keep moving. Time lost all meaning for him. It was gone from the moment he’d woken up in the cell. Days bled into each other until he no longer recognized if days had gone by or perhaps weeks. Being kept in the cell, drugged, beaten and only taken out to the labs had him losing all sense of time. Was it early morning? Was it sunset? What day was it? He wasn’t even sure of the month anymore. He just wasn’t sure. The canopy of the trees in the forest where he was at gave him no direction. He just knew he had to keep running. 

Clad in only a thin hospital gown, he knew he was up against not only his captors but also the elements. It was chilly and he was running out of time. He didn’t even know if he was going in the right direction. He just knew that from the moment he’d managed to escape his cell, he had to run in the opposite direction of where the cabin was. The cabin looked like a small cabin on the outside but held a series of underground tunnels and labs that spanned an unknown amount of land. The people who had taken him always kept them separated. Isolated. Black cloth bags over their heads whenever they were moved from one lab to another. Sometimes they were purposely dropped or drugged to unconsciousness so they wouldn’t remember or have any sense of direction. The only reason he knew there were others like him was because he’d heard their screams and cries when they were first brought in. He’d trained himself to gauge the passage of time based on the meals that were placed in his cell at regular intervals. By the time the third meal of the day was given, the newbies had gone silent. Everyone went silent in the end. Like him, they quickly learned that silence is your friend. You don’t want to call attention to yourself. Keep your mouth closed and things will be easier. Not by much but a little easier. 

_ “You’re so close. You’re almost there. Don’t give up. Keep running!” _

Trying not to sob, he tamps down his emotions and instead focuses on his breathing. A trick he’d learned ironically from his captors. His endurance was unlike that of any normal omega. His speed and agility make up for his lack of strength. Placing his focus on running, he continues to head in the direction his instincts are guiding him to. How long he runs, he doesn’t know. All he knows is that when he finally breaks free from the forest he’s on a long paved road that leads somewhere. Hopefully somewhere far from the cabin.

He still doesn’t stop running. His instincts are guiding him and he’s listening. He runs a mile, then two. He tracks his miles thanks to the markers on the road that helps lost or stranded travelers figure out where they’re at when they’re calling for help. It’s when he’s run five miles that a bright light shines directly behind him. 

Fear passes through his body before his instincts guide him yet again. He goes from flight to fight and stops, breath coming out heavy, his fists clenched and ready to attack whomever is after him.

The car slows down and stops as a middle aged couple stare at the young omega clearly in a state of shock and panic. While he is ready to fight, all they see is a very disheveled and dirty omega in a hospital gown with what look like restraint marks around his wrists, ankles and neck. The woman steps out of the car, using her soothing omega presence to try and calm the clearly panicking omega. She releases pheromones as she steps closer to him. Her tactic somewhat works. He’s been so touch starved and isolated during his captivity that the soothing scent of lilac has him dropping. She gasps and reaches out to keep his head from hitting the pavement as her mate rushes over to them. Picking up the omega, tha alpha places him in the backseat of the car. They immediately start the car and race to the nearest hospital. The female calls ahead to the police to meet them at the hospital explaining that her and her mate had found an omega in distress miles from any town, clearly abused and dropping. When they arrive, they’re met by police and hospital personnel who immediately take the omega in to find out who he is and what happened to him.

The couple is interviewed but they don’t know much. They only know where they found the omega as they were driving. They didn’t know how long he’d been on his own or where he’d come from. They assured the police that he’d said nothing to them, not even his name before dropping. As the police set out to try and track where he came from, hospital personnel continue to assess him. Fingerprints are taken to try and figure out who he is and where he came from.

It’s not until hours later that a match comes in. There’s shock and confusion as the doctors and nurses receive the information from the police. Under the oath of confidentiality, they’re all strictly bound to remain quiet as the police go to inform the family that the omega they reported missing five years ago and was presumed dead had been found alive.

As the detectives pull into the parking garage of the luxury apartments and penthouses, they wonder how they’re going to explain this to the families and loved ones the omega had left behind. They had a file with them and all the information on the missing omega along with his list of injuries and what they’d been able to determine and find so far. The case was going to be explosive and they knew time was not on their side. By morning, the media would be apprised and all hell would break loose. Exiting the car, they go to the entrance and are waved to the bank of elevators that would take them to the penthouse by the curious doorman. Once there, they ring the doorbell and wait. When the door opens, blue eyes widen in surprise.

“Detectives. Is there something we can do for you?”

Niall had opened the door to Liam’s penthouse. The three friends were having their ritual mid-week get together to have dinner, a few drinks, maybe a few games of pool or just to watch some show on TV. They’d been doing this for years and despite the changes in their lives and their dynamics, they had never given up on doing this.

“We need to speak to Mr. Payne please.”

Nodding, Niall opens the door wider and invites them to enter. The atmosphere in the room immediately changes. Harry and Niall go stand by Liam, expecting to hear the worst. Liam is frozen, afraid. The last time he’d spoken to the detectives they’d told him that the longer time went on, the less likely it was they’d ever be able to find Zayn. They all held their breath with miserable anticipation until Liam finally breaks the silence.

“You’ve found his…”

He coughs and clears his throat. He truly doesn’t want to get the words out. It had been difficult enough having to suffer through this already. To say the words he’d been dreading for the past five years made him feel sick. Niall is the one who finally speaks what they’re all thinking.

“You found Zayn’s remains didn’t you?”

Omegas had started going missing several years prior. Within a year, 14 omegas had disappeared from the London area. Liam, Harry and Niall had been worried and had often admonished Zayn to be very careful. Liam and Zayn were to be mated in a lavish ceremony on New Years Eve but that ceremony never happened. Zayn had gone shopping for art supplies and new paint for some work he wanted to get done prior to their ceremony but he had never been seen or heard from again. His car, wallet, cell phone and keys had been found abandoned but no sight of him had ever materialized. Camera recordings of the area provided no information. Zayn had been seen entering the shopping center and the art supply shop but he’d never made it out. It had been a big mystery that still lingered to this day causing so much confusion and grief for the families of the missing omegas.

“Well? What’s going on?”

The lead detective finally breaks the news to the alphas but it’s not what they expected to hear.

“Sir. Mr. Malik was found earlier this morning by a couple near Colchester.”

Liam gulps, eyes tearing up that after all this time, he’d finally be able to say his goodbyes, proper goodbyes to his Zayn. That is until the detectives start to speak again.

“He’s alive sir.”

All of them inhale sharply, eyes widening in shock.

“Did you just say…”

“Zayn is alive?”

“Is this a joke?”

The questions are coming out fast and harsh, none of the three friends believing what’s going on.

“Sir. Early this morning, we received reports of an omega in distress near a wooded area in Colchester. A couple found him running in a dirty gown, almost feral. It appears he was restrained at some point based on the ligature marks on his wrists, ankles and his neck. He dropped shortly after they found him and he was transferred to Oaks Hospital where initial identification was done using a fingerprint scan. We’d like for you to come with us for formal identification and to help us get him out of his drop since you are listed as his emergency contact and future bondmate. It’s important we speak to him as soon as possible to find out what happened to him and who was holding him captive.”

Liam grimaced at this last part but didn’t give further comment. He rushes to get his coat with his friends following him.

“I’ll drive Liam. You’re in no condition to drive right now.”

He jerks his head in a sharp nod at Harry’s comment. His entire world has seemingly stopped. 

Zayn was alive. 

Zayn was alive.

His Zayn. 

The often silent, sometimes moody but always loving Zayn.

The omega that had taken his breath away the first time he’d seen him. He still smiled when he remembered how they’d met.

Zayn had been doing community service instead of being tossed in jail after being caught vandalizing one of Liam’s buildings with graffiti. When questioned, Zayn had turned those gilded eyes on Liam and haughtily corrected him.

“S’not graffiti you blind wanker. It’s street art.”

Liam had fallen head over heels in love with the omega that never made things easy for him. Rather than press charges, Liam had thrown all caution to the wind and pursued the feisty omega. Zayn had only been 19 and had no desire to enter Liam’s world. Liam was wealth, champagne brunches and false smiles designed to hide brittle facades of friendship. Zayn’s world was art, street art, tattoos and beers in a pub when he had had enough money to do so. Harry and Niall had been surprised by the person Liam had fallen hard for but spending time with Zayn confirmed what Liam already knew. Zayn was a rarity. He was genuine and honest. He despised the false world they lived in and preferred to surround himself with his art and solitude. Liam was the rare person that managed to bring down his walls. Slowly, Zayn let them in until the four were a tight knit circle of friends with Liam finally asking Zayn to bond with him. Having Zayn agree had been a monumental shift for them both because suddenly they were thrust in the limelight that Zayn so desperately wanted to avoid. Liam did everything in his power to protect him from the harsh spotlight of the gossips and media and they thought things had finally quieted down when the unthinkable happened and Zayn disappeared.

The disbelief, the shock and the grief had been unbearable. Liam didn’t think he’d have survived without Harry and Niall being there for him. The weeks had turned into months and the months into years before Liam finally agreed that after 3 years, Zayn would likely never be found. The third year blended into the fourth before he finally was able to date again. He hated it and found it grossly unfair that he couldn’t seem to forget Zayn and would compare every omega and beta he dated to him. Moving forward was difficult, almost impossible but he had been doing it. He thought he was finally moving past his tragedy with the new life he had forged for himself when everything was thrown askew by the arrival of the detectives to his home.

“We’re here.”

Niall’s voice interrupted his thoughts as Harry parks the car and they emerge, careful to make sure no media are present. So far, as the detectives had stated, it was quiet. When they enter the hospital, they go to the Information desk and are directed to a different floor. Rushing, they enter an empty elevator to the fourth floor before exiting. Upon arriving, more police are there stationed around the nurses station and doors to some of the rooms lining the hall. They go to the desk to inquire about Zayn.

“I’m Liam Payne. I need the room for Zayn Malik.”

The nurse in question looks for the information briefly before directing her attention back to him.

“I need to see some identification please.”

“Excuse me?”

“As you can see, security is tight due to the high profile nature of our patients. Identification please.”

He takes out his license which she scans and gives him a Visitors badge then does the same for Harry and Niall at his request. Racing fast, they go to the room she told them to go to. Two police officers stand by the door. After checking their badges and ID’s again, one officer opens the door. Entering silently, they see a different police detective talking to a doctor at the bedside. Both turn to look at the men as they walk in. The doctor moves a step away to the left allowing them to get their first glimpse of the man on the bed.

A broken sob escapes Liam’s mouth before he can recover. Tears are threatening to escape as he sees his Zayn on the bed. He’s pale, a tube giving oxygen to him is placed under his nose and he can see bandages wrapped securely around both wrists. Around Zayn’s neck are bright red ligature marks, as if someone had choked him or he was kept strapped by the neck to something. The sight of the bruises and wounds on Zayn makes him growl before Harry and Niall place calming hands on his arm and back. They move forward until they all surround the bed, the only sounds are the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the monitor that is keeping track of his consciousness levels. He was still in a deep omega drop.

“What happened to him? Who did this to him?”

Niall’s voice is sharp as he questions the detective and the doctor still in the room. It’s the detective that speaks first.

“I assume you were told about how he was found by the couple correct?”

At their nods, he continues.

“We’re investigating but it appears that Zayn and other omegas were being kept captive in a private cabin deep in Thetford park. We’re still investigating but so far we have found 4 other omega’s and we believe there are more yet to be found.”

“What do you mean more? It’s a bloody cabin. How many people can be hidden in a cabin?”

“It’s not that simple sir. The cabin itself is merely a front. There appears to be a network of underground rooms, laboratories and tunnels beneath the surface. It will take us a while to determine how many were being kept hidden away and who was responsible. Upon our arrival, we found the cabin empty and hastily packed. We believe that Mr. Malik’s escape premeditated their rapid abandonment of the cabin and facility.”

“Why? What were they doing to Zayn and the others all this time?”

“That’s why we need to start bringing the omegas out of their drops. The computers and tech found in the labs beneath the cabin were corrupted. It may take time to find out anything useful from them. Time we simply may not have. Talking to the omegas may be our best chance of finding and apprehending those responsible.”

It makes sense. It makes terrible sense that they’d need Liam to bring Zayn up from his drop. Twin feelings of longing and guilt are warring within him as he stares at his Zayn. 

“Can you give us a moment please? I’d like to bring him up privately.”

“Of course sir. Call for us the moment he regains consciousness. The relatives of the other omegas should be arriving shortly but the sooner we can start speaking to them, the faster we can investigate.”

The doctor and detective leave but Harry and Niall stay behind. They’re quiet as Liam lays in the bed next to Zayn and places Zayn’s face in the crook of his neck. He whispers softly to him to open his beautiful eyes, promising he’s safe now. He keeps stroking his hands and encourages Zayn to wake up as he scents him. The minutes fly by before Zayn starts to move his fingers. They’re restless but settle when Liam touches them. A small whimper escapes his lips as he slowly begins to regain consciousness. Liam moves off the bed and stands next to him, still keeping his hands in Zayn’s and keeps encouraging him to wake up. It’s a bittersweet moment of triumph when Zayn opens his eyes, gasping for breath as he finally locks eyes with Liam.

A ghost of a smile appears before he closes his eyes and takes a deep settling breath.

“Hey Li…”

Liam tries hard to keep his composure but can’t. Hearing Zayn call him by his nickname and seeing those beautiful eyes does him in. He tightens his hold on Zayn’s hands as his shoulders heaving with sobs. Niall and Harry quietly leave the room to give them both some privacy. It’s ten minutes later when a very composed Liam reopens the door to the room and invites them back in. Zayn is still awake but disoriented. He’d spent the past ten minutes wondering why Liam was sobbing and then wondering why he was in a hospital. His thoughts were murky, so confusing. He’s finding it hard to piece together what was going on. When the doctor enters, he merely stares at the man. When the detective enters, it’s as if everything suddenly comes rushing back. They all notice the change immediately. From the frantic racing of his heartbeat to the smell of panic and fear he was emanating.

“Zee? Relax. I need you to relax and breathe. Breathe with me babe. Come on. You can do it.”

Zayn begins to slowly calm down at the soothing nature and timbre of Liam’s voice. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize Zee. The police just want to talk to you. About what happened.”

Nodding, Zayn looks back to the detective.

“It’s just, I’m remembering everything and seeing you made me panic. The man who took me wore a uniform like yours.”

There’s sudden silence at his words.

“What do you mean? He was a policeman?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so? He was wearing a uniform. I remember it. I was buying my paint. He bumped into me in the back of the store. I felt weird after that. Dizzy. I remember feeling a pinch in my arm when he bumped into me. I think I fell and when I woke up, I was tied up in the back of a car but I could see the back of his head. I passed out again and when I woke again, I was in a small room. I was undressed and only wearing a hospital gown.”

“What else do you remember?”

Zayn stays quiet for a long time as he remembers.

“To be honest, not a lot. I remember black bags being placed over our heads when we were moved from room to room. I remember a lot of examinations. Medical ones. They would draw blood, do scans, inject me with things. I don’t know. No one ever spoke and they’d keep us drugged to make sure we didn’t fight them or remember much.”

The detective tries to keep questioning him but when Liam sees Zayn starting to get agitated, he puts a stop to it.

“That’s enough for now. He’s told you all he remembers. I assure you that if he remembers more, we will contact you immediately but he needs to rest now.”

Agreeing, the doctor escorts the detective out while Harry and Niall now get closer to the bed.

“How are you feeling Zee?”

“I’m ok. Tired. I feel floaty. I’ve missed you guys so much. I’m sorry I made you worry.”

“None of that. It’s not your fault.”

Zayn murmurs something softly as he falls back asleep. His words are like daggers in Liam’s heart while both Niall and Harry look stricken.

“I missed our ceremony didn’t I? S’ok. We can plan a new one.”

They are all silent as Zayn falls back asleep, no one moving. Just watching him.

A soft ping alerts Liam to messages on his phone. Pulling it out, he sees several missed calls and texts from the same person. Opening it, he closes his eyes in horror.

_< Maya: Hey love! Did you forget we had a meeting with our wedding coordinator? I’ll go ahead and reschedule. Love you!>_

“Shit.”

He doesn’t need to speak. Harry and Niall know what the problem is.

“Liam? I don’t think Zayn realizes how much time has passed. You’re going to have to tell him it's been five years and you’re engaged to someone else now.”

  
  
  



	2. Experiments

As predicted, the media went crazy when the news came out that some of the missing omegas were found. The site where Zayn had been found was now overrun with police, media and as expected, nosy neighbors, bloggers and looky loos who just wanted to see something. Anything. Unfortunately, the news quickly turned grim. Liam, Niall and Harry watched the news with growing horror as they listened to the reports.

“The bodies of eight omegas were found buried around the property. Though identification is pending, it’s believed to be the remains of many of the missing omegas. Only 5 omegas were found alive. The discovery of the bodies was precipitated by the escape of one of them who managed to flag down help. Though the identity of the omega is being kept private, our sources tell us that the omega in question is awake and talking to the authorities about what happened to him during his years in captivity. Lingering questions remain. Why were the omegas kidnapped? Why were they kept alive all these years? And the one big question mark, 14 omegas were kidnapped. Only one remains unaccounted for. What omega is still missing and why?”

Grimacing, Niall shuts off the television and looks back to Liam and Harry. Once Zayn had fallen asleep, they’d been nicely told to leave and return the following day when called. The surviving omegas were being kept under strict observation and police protection. No one was allowed to see them outside of their doctors, the detectives on the case and immediate family only. Zayn had listed Liam as his family long ago so he was the only one allowed to go see him.

“When are you going to go see Zayn?”

“I don’t know.”

“Does Maya know?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

“Have you talked to her?”

“No…”

It was as if by some quirk of fate that Liam’s phone rings again and again he lets it go to voicemail.

“You can’t ignore her forever Liam. She deserves to know. As does Zayn. You’re not doing either of them any favors by pretending nothing is wrong.”

“Don’t you think I know this Harry? I know I’m being a selfish asshole right now but I don’t know what to do. Yes I want to talk to them both and I will when I know what to say. Right now, I wouldn’t have any idea of where to start.”   
His phone goes off again but this time he picks up. The conversation is short before he hangs up again.

“Zayn is awake. They want me there at the hospital before they question him again. Harry, I need you with me. As my friend and attorney, it’s better if you’re present in case the police start to ask him things he can’t or doesn’t want to answer. Niall, I want you there as moral support when I talk to Zayn and explain things.”

Nodding, they all set off to the hospital. Niall drives as Liam finally responds to Maya.

_ <Liam: I owe you an explanation. I’ll call you later and we can talk. The police need to talk to me again. With Harry before I talk to them.> _

She only takes a minute to reply.

_ <Maya: Is everything ok? Call me when you’re done.> _

_ <Liam: Yes. Just some formalities but I’m not in any trouble. I’ll call you.> _

He’s grateful she doesn’t ask more questions. He has enough on his plate to worry about. For now, he can shove his thoughts in regards to her to the back of his mind and focus on Zayn and what’s going on with him. 

“Shit!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Media.”

Sure enough, there is media camped out by the entrance of the hospital and spilling out into the street.

“They’re everywhere. There’s no way we will be able to enter without being seen.”

Cursing, they all realize that Niall is right. Even the private entrance used by medical personnel has media around it. There’s literally no place for them to be able to enter without being seen. They’re all resigned that their faces and names will be plastered on the news and Zayn’s name will be leaked after this. Putting sunglasses on their faces, they park and walk with their faces down in the hopes that the media won’t notice them right away. It doesn’t work. As soon as they’re close to the doors, the media descends on them calling out Liam’s name. Pictures of them entering the hospital hit social media and the news within minutes. Once inside the hospital, they quickly show ID and are escorted to Zayn’s room again. Niall is on his phone grimacing that as predicted, the media is speculating that Zayn was one of the recovered omega’s. Prior to his kidnapping, the four of them would sometimes make the society pages and gossip columns. The omega of Liam Payne and their best friends. Already people were digging up old pictures and social media posts. It was times like that that Niall cursed his and Liam’s love of social media in their younger days. Their pictures were being dug up and old stories were being rehashed.

“Mr. Payne. May I have a moment of your time?”

Looking up, he sees the doctor that was with Zayn the night before as well as the detective.

“Mr. Malik is currently eating which gives us a little bit of time. We can use my office for this.”

Confused, the men follow the doctor and the detective to his office down the end of the hall.

“What’s going on?”

It’s the doctor who begins to speak first.

“As Zayn’s primary doctor in this, let me be frank Mr. Payne. We’ve done scans on him as well as bloodwork. Though not all the results are in yet from his blood work, there are some things we’ve come across in his blood work as well as in his scans. Scans show evidence of repeated bone fractures.”

“Wait. What do you mean? Bone fractures? Like he had a broken arm or leg or something?”

“It’s more than that Mr. Payne. It appears that over the past few years, Zayn had both arms broken, one leg, the bones in his left hand, his ribs show evidence of breaks and fractures. There are several scars that lead us to believe he was the subject of experimental surgery.”

Liam pales at this admission while Harry and Niall look sick but the doctor is not done.

“It also appears that there are anomalies in his blood.”

“What do you mean anomalies?”

“Let me explain. Though inherently we are all human beings, there are differences between alphas and omegas. One of the biggest ones is our biology. Though the days of having a wolf form are long gone, alphas still have the ability to use their alpha voice against omegas, they are still physically stronger and have the capability of dropping an omega and raising one from a drop. Alphas also have ruts. Omegas have the ability to bear children, they’re nurturers and caregivers. Their pheromones can calm down and soothe even the wildest alpha. Omegas have heats. Zayn’s blood shows a new element. He was given suppressants during his time in captivity but the suppressants did more than make him stop having heats. There are things there we do not quite recognize or understand but if our theories are correct, whomever was holding the omegas hostage was suppressing everything that made them omega’s while simultaneously injecting them with a combination of hormones that gave him and the others alpha traits. When he escaped, he ran miles without stopping. Miles. Omegas are not built for running like this. Across difficult terrain and in the cold but he did. His body has also changed. Omega’s are soft, supple and curvy. It’s how their bodies deal with childbirth and their scents attract potential mates. Zayn has lost all that. His body is more similar to that of an alpha now. He’s lean but muscular and his scent is all but gone. We do not yet know if they will all slowly start to get their omega traits back as the hormones in their systems fade or if we need to start finding ways to counterbalance”

There’s silence as all the men struggle to absorb this but it’s hard. It’s hard to accept that someone was essentially using them as guinea pigs but for what purpose? Harry breaks the silence asking the question weighing on his mind.

“Why? Why would anyone do this?”

Now it’s the detective who speaks.

“Every omega we’ve talked to tells a similar story to Zayn’s. They woke up in a cell of some kind. They all remember being covered up, medical exams and a deep sense of isolation. They are all suffering from touch deprivation. Despite having been experimented on to suppress their omega tendencies, they are still omegas and some parts of them can’t be suppressed. Each of them got used to self-soothing since there were no alphas present to help them. We don’t yet know why this was done to them but we will find out. That is why we called you in as well as the families of the other survivors. None of them know or realize how much time has passed. We’re worried about their reactions and how the news may set them back. With your permission, we’d like to avoid telling Zayn that he disappeared five years ago.”   
“WHAT?? NO!”

“It’s for his own good Mr. Payne. He’s received a big shock already. Zayn is still physically recovering from his ordeal. We called you in because we need to tell him about his physical well being and part of what was done to him. We don’t know how he will react. To add another blow by telling him that he’s missed the past five years of his life could do untold damage to his mental well being. He will be told soon but not yet. We’ve taken the television out of his room and are not allowing any form of communication to be established that could give him any warning of what’s happened. He will start seeing a therapist as well to help him but to tell him now would be disastrous.”

Liam looks at the doctor knowing he’s right but feeling terrible guilt. Now he’s going to have to pretend as if things were the same as they were five years ago and keep it hidden from Zayn that he’s no longer the same 19 year old he’d first met but was going to turn 25 soon. Life was more complicated than he’d ever expected it to be. Nodding, he finally agrees to the decision and they’re allowed to go see Zayn. Entering his room, they’re surprised to find him sulking and glaring at something they don’t see.

“Zayn? Is something wrong?”

“I want to go home.”

“You will. Soon.”

“No. I want to leave now.”

“What? Why?”

Zayn gives them all a look of incredulity before he flips the sheets off the bed.

“This is why.”

They look down at his legs. The evidence of scars and bruises are heartbreaking but its Zayn’s words that really hurt.

“I’m not safe here. The people who did this to me are still out there. If they could get to me in a crowded shopping center full of people who saw nothing, what makes you think they won’t come here? What makes you think they won’t dress up as medical personnel and try to kill me? I escaped. I survived when there should be no survivors or witnesses. I CAN’T STAY HERE!”

His last words stun them all. Zayn had not just shouted them. His final words were eerily similar to an alpha voice. Zayn is glaring at them all as if waiting for them to submit before he snaps out of it and a look of horror crosses his face.

“What...what did I just do?”

None of them have an answer for him. The doctor’s warnings ringing in their heads as they see firsthand what he meant when he warned them that Zayn was now exhibiting alpha traits. The silence lingers for a moment before they realize that Zayn is having a panic attack. Moving quickly, Liam goes to comfort him but it’s too late. He goes limp in his arms as his body is overwhelmed with the sudden rush of pheromones in him.

“What...what just happened to him?”

“This is why we can’t yet tell him how much time has gone by. He’s an omega with alpha traits and he’s struggling to come to terms with it. He doesn't quite yet understand it. We believe that on some level, he’s aware and knows more than he realizes but his mind is protecting him from remembering everything. It’s how the human mind deals with trauma.”

Nodding, Liam carefully lays Zayn back down and holds his hand as Niall talks to the doctor.

“He’s right though. We’re not certain of his safety. Credentials are easy to forge. Can we take him home? We can get a nurse or nurses to monitor him but he can’t stay here. We will have a therapist come see him but we need to get him out of here.”

The doctor reluctantly nods. He knows the practicalities of this and why it’s beneficial but a part of him is reluctant to let Zayn leave just yet. It’s Harry who makes the decision for him.

“Look. Either you sign him off for release to Liam or I get a court order and we take him home against doctors wishes. Either way, we’re taking him home.”

Sighing, the doctor knows better than to fight this one.

“Fine but I insist on daily consultations and he must start seeing a therapist immediately. I’ll also need you to sign permission for the therapist and I to consult together about his condition. It may help us in finding out how to get him better.”

“That’s fair.”

Harry leaves the room to get the ball rolling on the necessary paperwork for Zayn’s immediate release and how to leave without being seen. Niall and Zayn stay behind, both looking at Zayn.

“Liam? Where is he going to stay? Maya will lose her shit if you take him home with you.”

“It’s where he belongs Niall. It’s where he recovers. I’ll explain it to her and she will understand.”

Niall snorts knowing full well she was not going to react as Liam hoped.

“Right. You tell yourself that.”

When Zayn awakens, he’s surprised at how fast Liam worked. Or he assumed it was Liam who ensured his release quickly.

“You’ll be released tomorrow morning on some conditions.”

“Fine. Whatever they are, I’ll agree to them.”

“Not so fast. First, the doctor and/or nurses will see you daily the first week and then we taper off as needed. Second, you will start seeing a therapist. Now don’t argue.”

Zayn had opened his mouth as if to argue but since he wanted out, he quickly realized the futility of such an endeavor.

“The therapist is for your own good. You need to start coming to terms with what happened to you and what was done to you.”

“What...what happened to me Liam? Do you know?”

Rather than answer directly, Liam evaded.

“We know a little but the police are still investigating. Hopefully once the bastards who did this are found, we can find out more and you can fully heal and recover.”

Zayn takes him at his word and smiles shyly before nodding and pressing a soft kiss to Liam’s cheek.

“Alright alpha.”

It’s a dagger to Liam’s heart to hear Zayn call him that but still he can’t tell him the truth. Not yet. 

“Behave yourself. Niall is going to stay with you awhile. I need to make sure everything is ready for you at home but I’ll return tomorrow early to pick you up.”

Nodding, Zayn watches Liam leave then turns to look at Niall who has a worried expression on his face.

“Why the long face Niall? What’s wrong?”

Shaking off his mood, Niall gives Zayn a smile then goes to sit next to him and spends the better part of his day entertaining Zayn, making him laugh and watching over him as he sleeps. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Back at his penthouse, Liam is met with the fury and wrath of Maya.

“When were you going to tell me?”

“Maya, I swear I was planning on telling you.”

“But when Liam? I turn on the news to see your face all over the screen. Yours, Niall’s and Harry’s and the only reason you three would have to be at the hospital was if your ex was one of the omegas found. That’s what all the media is saying. Is it true?”

“Yes but…”

“And does he know he’s now an ex? Does he know you and I are to be married and mated in 3 weeks?”

“No, he doesn’t.”

All hell breaks loose. Liam watches as she screams, cries and threatens him over his inability to man up and tell Zayn the truth. He endures her tantrum for 15 minutes before he’s finally had enough.

“Maya, STOP! I have not told him on the order and recommendation of his doctor. You do not know the full story. I don’t understand why you’re behaving this way. You have absolutely no reason to worry so stop acting like this. I will tell Zayn in good time and when they say it’s safe to do so. I just can’t right now.”

“This is such bullshit Liam. I bet you he does know and he does remember. He’s just playing the sympathy card to get you back in his clutches. He probably still loves you and thinks he can get you back.”

“That’s enough Maya! Zayn is not like that. You weren’t there and you have no understanding of the hell he’s gone through. Now if you’re finished with your tantrum, I’m tired and need to rest. You can see yourself out.”

Furious, she goes to get her purse and her coat. This wasn’t over for her. Not yet. 

Once she leaves, Liam sits on his couch and puts his head in his hands. When did his life get so complicated? He had thought he had his life in order and he was ready to settle down and mate Maya, start a family. Zayn suddenly returning to his life had thrown things completely off kilter and he didn’t know what to do. He loved Maya. Of course he did. But she wasn’t Zayn. No one had ever been able to take his place or fill the hole in his heart his disappearance had created. And now? He had Zayn back but it had been 5 years. Things just weren’t the same anymore. Too tired to dwell on his problems, he decides to go to bed and sleep. Perhaps he’d find some answers in the morning.


	3. Cowards

Nightmares plagued him. Despite the sedatives he was given, Zayn still had nightmares. It got to the point that he refused to take them simply because they prolonged the nightmares. He couldn’t wake up from them and the worst part was that even after he finally woke up, the lingering feelings of terror stayed with him. The dreams were always the same. Waking up in a panic to the sounds of beeps and monitors. Staff wearing masks designed to hide their identities. Tubes being inserted into his arms. Needles. Pain. The crunch of something breaking. Screams. 

Other memories were starting to surface. The ones that disturbed him the most. In his dreams, sometimes he was the patient. Other times he was an observer. In one particular bad one, he had been one of the people wearing a mask and doing things to an omega. Unspeakable things. 

That dream had been particularly bad not just for him but apparently for the hospital staff.

For some unknown reason, the other four omegas in the ward with him had all started shrieking, screaming and panicking at the same time. 

Was it a shared dream? 

Zayn didn’t know but all he did know was that he absolutely refused to talk about it. Not with the staff. Not with his own doctor. Not with anyone. He couldn’t. He wasn’t too sure but he had the suspicion that the other omegas were in the same boat as him. 

Sighing, he stared at the wall blankly. Despite the insistence that he was going home soon, he had ended up staying at the hospital almost a full week due to the nightmares, the stress they caused and because they’d caused him to drop twice in the span of two days. That alone was deemed worrisome and dangerous and had used that to keep him at the hospital. Though he still had dreams, he’d stopped dropping and they’d finally agreed to let him go.

Now, he was in a beautiful room in Liam’s penthouse. He was here in his home yet he rarely saw Liam. The day they’d released him from the hospital, it had been Harry and Niall who had collected him. They said Liam was elsewhere throwing the media off the trail and leaking it that Zayn would be going home in the evening. They’d then taken Zayn out through a back entrance and brought him home. Zayn thought Liam would have joined them at the penthouse but though he made appearances and checked on Zayn everyday, he still was keeping his distance. Zayn wondered what he had done or if Liam was angry with him for disappearing. Even having Niall and Harry around wasn’t enough. They tried to distract him but things were awkward. So awkward and Zayn didn’t understand why. He had no television whatsoever and he couldn’t understand why. They used to marathon watch movies and shows together. Now it appeared that every television was gone from the house. Harry told him it was for his own good because avoiding the media and all forms of news right now after this story was a nightmare. He was promised that once things died down, he’d be able to log back in and see what’s going on online. Instead, he was given a beautiful room with actual books and paints, canvases, art sketchbooks, charcoal pencils as well as all forms of art mediums he could ever want. 

It was a wonderful thought and his doctor said that art as therapy would and could be beneficial but there was literally nothing Zayn wanted to paint or draw right now. Try as he might, the inspiration just wasn’t there. It was driving him crazy. 

There was something else that was bothering him. Liam arrived late each night when Zayn was already asleep. Or at least Zayn assumed so because lately, he’d started getting sleeping shortly after his evening tea. Try as he might, he just couldn’t keep his eyes open. Harry kept assuring him that his exhaustion was normal after what he’d endured but Zayn knew when Harry was lying to him. He knew something wasn’t right. When Niall and Harry both spent the late afternoon and evening with him, they kept making sure he ate his soup and drank his tea. Their behavior started setting off warning bells in Zayn’s head. Little snippets of memories were returning as he ate and they chatted about mindless stories regarding old friends he hadn’t seen or talked to in ages. He remembers the same feelings of fuzzy memories and overwhelming exhaustion after eating. This thought makes him freeze before he puts his soup down.

The idea that his friends were purposely drugging him with sedatives to get him to sleep and not see Liam was far-fetched. Ridiculous. They’d never do that to him. They were friends.

“Zee. Eat your soup. Come on, we need to fatten you up a little.”

Zayn looks up and sees both Harry and Niall staring at him expectantly. Left with no choice, he continues to eat slowly before standing up.

“Excuse me guys. Too much tea I guess. I need to go to the toilet.”

He moves fast and goes to the bathroom in his bedroom. Closing the door, he runs the water to hide any sounds and sticks his fingers down his throat. 

It happens fast. He starts to throw up in the toilet. The contents of his soup and tea are quickly emptied as he flushes it. He brushes his teeth quickly then washes his hands before returning and acting as if nothing happened. Luckily there’s only a few spoonfuls of soup left and no tea. He can finish that portion easily and still manage to stay awake if his theory is right. He eats what’s left quickly before daring to ask yet again about his wayward fiance.

“What time is Liam coming home?”

Niall and Harry look at each other before Niall answers.

“Ummm...probably not until after you fall asleep. He’s been really busy Zee. But he does go to see you and make sure you’re ok every night.”

Zayn can’t take it anymore. He’s feeling caged in. Frustrated and so angry.

“Don’t fucking lie to me. He’s avoiding me! WHY? Why is he avoiding me? Why are you two acting so weird around me? What the fuck is going on? I don’t understand why everyone is treating me like what happened to me is my fault!”

Niall and Harry look stricken at Zayn’s words but neither reply. They just keep staring at their plates, both unwilling to answer Zayn.

“Fuck you then. If you won’t answer my questions, I’ll find a way to get the answers I need.”

Zayn storms off and slams the door to his bedroom closed. He’d lock it but for some reason he didn’t dwell on until now, there’s no lock on his door. He’s not sure what it is but something tells him he needs to continue the little charade he’s got going. He takes a quick shower and then gets into bed. As he suspected, it’s not too long after that he hears the front door of the penthouse. That alone was unusual. As an omega, his hearing shouldn’t be that sharp yet he could immediately differentiate the voices. He hears Harry’s and Niall’s worried words to Liam and Liam’s response.

“Li, he’s angry. He suspects something is up.”

“He accused us all of acting differently towards him. He knows you’re avoiding him.”

“Fuck.”

“You let this shit go on for too long already. You can’t keep avoiding him Li.”

“I understand this but you both know why I can’t.”

“He needs to know Li. This isn’t right.”

“I’ll talk to him. Soon. I promise. I just need to figure it out and make sure he won’t drop or freak out.”

Things go silent and Zayn hears the soft turning of the doorknob and knows right away it’s Liam entering his room. He feels the dip of the bed as Liam sits on it, looking but not touching. He stays that way for a few minutes, staring at Zayn before he gets up and walks out. Zayn’s eyes fly open when the door closes. His mind is in a constant state of turmoil now.

Why was Liam avoiding him? Was he blaming him for what happened? Had Zayn done something wrong? 

Try as he might, he couldn’t come up with anything. Restless, he sort of wishes now that he had taken the tea and sedatives so he could sleep. He knows he was going to be awake for a long time now.

_ A week later… _

Voices were cheerful and the smell of wealth permeated the air. Expensive perfumes and colognes mixed with the scent of roses. People in formalwear lingered in the clubhouse of Liam’s penthouse building. 

Despite his worries, Maya had insisted they hold their pre-wedding mixer as if nothing was wrong. Their wedding and bonding date wasn’t changed so there was no reason for them to cancel any of their parties. Harry and Niall had been firmly against it but there was no holding Maya back and Liam had finally given in. He felt guilty on so many fronts. Guilty about still lying to Zayn who was not gaining weight and if anything, was losing weight. Harry and Niall said Zayn often stayed in his room now and would only answer them in monosyllables, always staring out the window. 

His omega felt rejected by Liam and he was slowly falling into depression. It killed Liam that it was now his fault Zayn was suffering but when he’d finally tried to go talk to Zayn, Zayn had stared at him with sad eyes. He couldn’t seem to reach out to Zayn and talk to him. He knew it was his fault but he also had his new life with Maya. He felt guilty he had put her off and made her have to endure the presence of another omega in his life. Omegas by nature were competitive and outside of their own families, they rarely got along with other omegas especially single omegas. Having this party was a small price to pay and it made Maya happy. Plus Zayn never left the penthouse and even if he did, Liam had alarms and alerts that would let him know if Zayn did leave. 

He had to admit he felt a little like a show dog as Maya kept her hand tightly wound around his arm. He wasn’t given any time to go talk to his friends or family. Where she went, he went. That’s just the way things were going so far at this party. To his surprise, Maya finally lets him go claiming she needed to catch up with her cousins from Texas who had flown in and were staying for the next few weeks to help her before their big day. Relieved, he goes to talk to Harry and Niall along with a few other friends.

Maya does go talk to her cousins who wander away with her to one of the outdoor terraces. Once there, Maya leaves.

Zayn is sitting listlessly staring at the stars in the sky, his mind blank when he hears the front door open. He’s curious because the person entering is silent but instinctively knows it’s not Liam, Niall or Harry. He smells perfume before his door even opens. When it does, he sees a tall, lithe brunette in a strange dress that had ruffles everywhere. He doesn’t know her but he immediately smells Liam on her. Not the casual brush of scent when two people bump into each other or exchange quick hugs. Liam’s scent on her was stronger. His heart sinks as he starts to piece things together. Liam must be seeing this woman on the side and that’s why he’s so suddenly reluctant to come anywhere near Zayn. He says nothing, just stares at her with a blank depression even though he starts to feel his own heart breaking.

“I bet you’re wondering who I am.”

Zayn still says nothing. His silence is unnerving but the brunette presses on.

“My name is Maya Henry. I’m Liam Payne’s fiance.”

Now Zayn finally reacts. His eyebrows furrow together even though he’s feeling stirrings of shock.

“You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not. Liam has been lying to you ever since you woke up Zayn Malik. I’ll be brief because I don’t have a lot of time. What year do you think it is?”

“What?”

“What year is it Zayn?”

“2015. Why?”

“No honey. It’s 2019.”

Zayn shakes his head in immediate denial but a part of him feels horror. The lack of television. The lack of internet. No phone. No newspaper. No conversations with anyone outside of Liam, Niall, Harry and his doctors. It explained so much but how? What had happened to the last five years of his life? Why had no one told him?

He realizes she’s holding something out for him. Looking at it, he realizes it’s her cell phone and sure enough the Yahoo page she’s showing him has the date listed including the year 2019.

“You disappeared before Christmas in 2014.You were held for about five years Zayn. Liam didn’t tell you did he?”

He doesn’t answer but he doesn’t have to. His eyes fill with tears that threaten to spill over but she presses on mercilessly. She takes her phone back and quickly brings up something else to show him.

“In all the time you were gone, Liam and I met, fell in love and in two weeks, we are to be married, bonded and mated. Look at all the articles that were printed about us. I didn’t make this up Zayn. If you don’t believe me, make your way down to the clubhouse. We’re hosting a pre-wedding party right now that I need to return to. Go and see the truth for yourself.”

She takes her phone back and starts to leave but pauses at the door.

“Liam has alarms set to warn him should you leave. I’ve disarmed them and will leave them that way should you decide to come see for yourself. I know you probably hate me right now and think I’m evil but I’ve been begging Liam, Harry and Niall for weeks now to tell you the truth. They refused and I refuse to be bonded with the ghost of my mate’s ex still living in our future home. I hope you understand.”

She leaves the room with a reeling Zayn in shock. He won’t cry. He can’t. With instincts he can’t explain, he buries his own feelings and goes to his closet. He grabs a warm jacket and finds a small duffel bag left by Niall when he’d brought over some things for Zayn. It doesn’t fit much but he takes two extra changes of clothing, underwear and his toiletries. He doesn’t have any money but he doesn’t care. He knows what he needs to do. Leaving the penthouse, Zayn wants to see for himself. He has to. He makes his way to the clubhouse and when the elevator doors open, he hears the sounds of a party going on. Adjusting the backpack on his back, he slowly walks towards the open double doors. When he reaches them, he stops at the entrance, his eyes slowly moving across the guests, seeking until they find who he’s looking for. There on his arm is the same brunette laughing and smiling as Harry laughs at something and Niall is shaking his head. It’s Niall who sees Zayn first. The smile leaves his face when he sees Zayn. 

“What’s wrong mate? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Harry wonders what caught Niall’s attention until he looks over and freezes. Fuck.

Liam finally notices his friends have gone silent and have looks of horror on their faces. Their expressions are nothing compared to the look on the face he turns and sees standing at the doorway. 

The look of complete betrayal.

Liam pales before Zayn turns around and walks away. This finally springs Liam, Harry and Niall into action. They run out after Zayn, looking for him but he’s gone. They bolt out of the building and finally see Zayn walking away fast.

“Zayn! Wait!”

Running after him, they manage to catch up and attempt to stop him but to their shock, Zayn pulls no punches when he reacts. He goes into fight mode and immediately strikes to hit Liam square in the jaw. The hit is harder and stronger than what Liam had anticipated and he stumbles backwards, only being saved from falling by Niall managing to catch him. 

“You lying fucking bastard. You could have fucking told me. All of you! But you all fucking lied to me. Day after day, you lied to me. Well fuck you. Don’t ever contact me. If you see me on the street, pretend you don’t know me. As of today, I don’t fucking know or acknowlege any of you. Fucking knotless cowards.”

Turning around, Zayn continues to walk away knowing they won’t follow him because they know he’s right.

How long he walks he doesn’t know but he just continues to move. He still refuses to let his omega tendencies surface. He rather likes this new ability of his to compartmentalize and keep things bottled up. After a long while, Zayn realizes he’s no longer in the ritzy rich part of the city. He’s in Camden Town. He doesn’t really remember getting there but he had simply walked to get far away from anywhere Liam was at. 

A gnawing pain alerts him that he’s hungry. He has no money or anything of value to trade. He used to have money in his bank but with no access to his own money and no ID to prove his identity, he knows he’s screwed. He won’t give up though. He’ll be damned before he goes back. On and on he walks. He’s so tired now. His omega instincts are taking over and he knows he needs to find somewhere to sleep. The streets are out of the question. Where is he anyway? Zayn looks around, not recognizing where he’s at. Was he still in Camden Town? He doesn’t recognize anything. 

Shit

He can feel his anxiety starting to creep in and that terrifies him. He’s had too much happen to him. It’s this realization that finally causes his emotions to break through his facade. He leans against the wall of a brick building and lets the tears fall. He wants to stop them but can’t. The harder he tries to stop, the worse it gets. He’s completely alone, no money, no family, no friends and nowhere to go. 

Exhaustion and stress are overwhelming him. He knows he’s dropping again and he finds that he just doesn’t care. The last thing he sees and hears is a raspy voice asking if he’s alright and a pair of concerned blue eyes looking at him as he finally slides into the dark where he feels nothing. 


	4. Louis

He smelled Christmas. That was the best way to describe it. As he slowly began to resurface, Zayn found himself surrounded by the comforting scents of Christmas. Pine, cinnamon and a hint of something else. Nutmeg? Clove? His thoughts were so muddled so he couldn’t be certain. Enjoying them, he snuggled deeper into the pillow his head was resting on before it occurred to him that as wonderful as the scent was, it was completely unfamiliar to him. Then he remembered the events of the evening. When he did, his eyes opened and he let them adjust to the dim lighting in the room. A room he didn’t recognize. Zayn slowly sits up and looks around. He’s on a comfortable bed that was a decent size. It wasn’t large but it was comfy. There was a dresser with a large mirror attached to it, a nightstand with a lamp and a pocket door that he assumed held a closet of some kind. The walls were made of brick and one entire wall was windows from the waist up. The ceilings were high. Very high. It suddenly clicked that he was in some form of loft. Strange. He didn’t recall how he got there in the first place. Slowly getting off the bed, Zayn walks on shaky feet to the single door in the room. He stops when he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He was wearing a loose fitting Ramones shirt and sweats. These weren’t his clothes and he didn’t remember ever getting dressed. He opens the door with a mixture of dread and curiosity. He walks down a short hallway taking notice of another door that was slightly ajar to reveal a bathroom. He then enters a large spacious room that has kitchen space on the left and living room space on the right. The entire right wall is also made up of waist high windows like the bedroom. He could only imagine that the views were spectacular when the weather was cooperating. Right now, the windows were covered by large drapes or curtains of some kind. A noise catches his attention as he sees a couple open the front door and enter holding bags of what he assumed was food based on the scents coming from them. They both freeze momentarily before smiling at him and going to the kitchen area to unpack the bags. The woman is the first to speak though Zayn keeps his eyes on the male. He recognizes his eyes. The sharp blue of his eyes bring back a distorted memory but he struggles to bring it back.

“Hi honey. Welcome back to the land of the living. I’m Perrie and this is my roommate Louis.”

Zayn just keeps staring at them now, unsure of what to say. He still doesn’t know who they are. This doesn’t seem to faze the woman though. She continues speaking as if everything was normal.

“I hope you don’t mind. We put you in Lou’s bedroom instead of mine after your drop. I’m getting ready to move in with my alpha in the next week so my room is a disaster. Lou here found you dropping and brought you home since we weren’t sure if you had an alpha nearby or anyone to call. I hate to tell you love but I think you may have been robbed or something. You had no identification, no wallet and no cell phone. Lou here thinks he recognizes you but he won’t tell me from where.”

Zayn still doesn’t say anything. He’s confused and not sure what to do or even why this couple would go out of their way to help him. Louis takes pity on him and finally breaks his silence.

“Go on. Take a seat. We brought you back some soup. My mum would often make soup for my sisters when one of them would drop. She said it helped them get their bearings back.”

To their surprise, Zayn walks over to one of the chairs behind the counter and sits, his hands moving the spoon slowly towards the bowl of soup Louis had placed in front of him. Perrie hands him a glass of water while Louis prepares tea. Once the three of them are sitting and eating, Zayn finally looks up from his half-finished bowl of soup.

“Thank you.”

Surprised, Louis and Perrie look up but smile kindly at him. Louis’ protective instincts were going into overdrive. From the moment he’d seen Zayn looking around confused and his sobs and tears against the building, he had been unable to walk away. He normally avoided the news and social media but with the recent headlines being blasted at them from all sides, it had been impossible to not know about the case of the missing omegas and the few that had been found alive. Zayn’s unforgettable face had been the most prominent one as the former fiance of Liam Payne.

“You’re welcome. Now finish eating. You dropped and need the nourishment.”

Zayn finally cracks a smile at the bossy omega.

“Perrie? Is that what you said your name was?”

“That’s right. Perrie Edwards and this alpha is Louis Tomlinson.”

“Oh. I thought he was your alpha.”

At his words, both Louis and Perrie burst into laughter.

“Oh god no. It would be like mating my sister. Perrie and I have known each other since we were in nappies. Our mums were best friends. When we both moved away from home, it made sense to live together.”

Curious, Zayn couldn’t help but ask questions about their rather unusual pairing. Alphas and omegas lived together when they were related or a bonded pair. A single alpha and single omega living together was unusual. Or maybe not. He’d lost the past five years of his life so maybe things had changed. It’s as if Louis could read his mind because he spoke up before Zayn could even voice his thoughts.

“Most people think it’s strange we live together considering we’re not a couple but it’s worked well for us. Right until she decided to get an alpha and move out next week. Thanks a lot for that Perrie.”

“Oh shut up. You like Alex and you know it.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like him. Replacing you as a roommate is going to be a bitch.”

“I know. It’s hard to follow up with perfection.”

“Spare me. Maybe I’ll finally get a roommate that isn’t so annoying.”

“Don’t make me stab you Tomlinson. Hey! How about you Zayn? Are you looking for a place to live? Lou is a terrific roommate. He’s a shit cook but he’s a great friend, a great listener and if you need an alpha to scare away losers, he’s your man. His sisters can’t get him to ever approve of their boyfriends. They all believe they’ll die single next to him.”

“Hey! I don’t scare them away. All their boyfriends are sissy wankers who can’t take a little questioning. If he can’t stand up to the scrutiny, he’s not a real alpha and won’t be able to take care of them.”

“Anway. Ignore him Zayn. What do you think?”

Zayn is fishmouthing at them both. Their rapid back and forth exchanges cements in his mind that theirs is a close and tight knit friendship. The fact that Perrie was so open and friendly and willing to randomly give up her room to an unknown omega was unheard of.

Louis and Perrie share looks of concern. Zayn appeared to be reserved but his reaction to Perrie’s off the cuff offer was alarming. He’d gone stiff, pale and had only stared. Even now he remained staring at them as if he wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly. Without warning, Zayn drops the spoon he’s holding and his body begins to give small shivers as if he’s cold. Alarmed, Perrie reaches out to him to feel his hands are icy. She knows immediately what’s going on. 

“Lou. Take off your shirt.”

“What?”

“Take off your shirt. He’s going to drop again. Shit. This is bad. Take off your shirt and hold him. Scent him too. He’s touch starved. He needs you to keep him warm until it passes or he will drop again. Two drops in the span of a few hours is dangerous. We can’t let that happen.”

Louis does as she says and takes off his shirt just as Perrie coaxes Zayn out of his. He needs the skin to skin contact of an alpha. She makes a distressed sound as she sees Zayn without his shirt for the first time. His eyes following her movements, Louis’ stares at them, his fists clenching at the obvious signs of abuse on his body. Scars are riddled throughout his back and chest. Fading but still there. Some are old and some appear to be newer. In the dim light of Lou’s bedroom, they hadn’t seen them when they’d changed him. Now in the bright lights of the kitchen and living room, they see the ligature marks around his wrists, his neck and the other scars on his body. Perrie’s eyes fill with tears as she realizes the extent of damage on his body. Looking at Louis, she nods and follows him when he simply lifts Zayn into his arms and carries him back to his bedroom bridal style. Zayn is still shivering as Louis gently places him on his bed and begins to scent him. Perrie covers Zayn in a throw to help him get warmer faster.

“I’ll make fresh tea. Hot. Once he’s out of this, we’ll have him drink it and find out what’s going on. Lou...those scars…”

“I know. Go on then. Get the tea ready while I deal with him here. Don’t want him dropping again do we?”

When she leaves, Louis keeps his hold on Zayn as his shivering starts to slowly taper off. This was strange for him. The omega was stunning really but the scars on his body told a story of suffering. Whomever had hurt him had made sure to keep his face intact and free from harm but his body was a testament to the cruelty of humanity. When Perrie returns, Zayn’s breathing has settled and he’s no longer shivering. He’s drowsy and a little out of it, not fully understanding where he’s at or who he’s with. Louis sits up in his own bed with Zayn reclining against him as Perrie gently presses him to drink his tea. 

“Honey? Can you tell us your name?”

“Zayn. Zayn Malik.”

Louis nods when he answers her question honestly. This he’d known but he only knew the bits and pieces he’d seen on the news. 

“Who hurt you sweetie?”

“Don’t know. They took me. Did things to me. Hurt me a lot.”

“Do you have family we can call? An alpha?”

Shaking his head, Zayn takes a deep breath as he settles in more comfortably against Louis. He’s slurring his words as exhaustion is hitting him but he likes the scent of the alpha he’s with. He’s not Liam but he smelled nice too. Different but nice.

“You smell like Christmas.”

Laughing, Louis rubs his hands on Zayn’s arms.

“Yeah. My birthday is Christmas Eve. My mum used to say my scent matched my birthday.”

“Oh. I don’t have family.”

“I’m sorry.”

“S’okay. Not your fault. Had an alpha though. Love him so much.”

“Yeah? Do you want us to call him?”

“Can’t. He chose someone else. He’s bonding someone else. Turns out he didn’t love me as much as I loved him. He replaced me.”

Exhaustion finally catches up to him and Zayn falls asleep reclined against Louis as him and Perrie share troubled looks. Taking care not to wake him, Louis gently lays him down and walks out with Perrie to the living room.

“Christ. Fuck all this is a nightmare Per.”

“What’s wrong Lou? What do you know?”

“Jesus Per. Haven’t you watched the news lately?”

“Not really. I try to avoid that mess.”

“The story of the missing omegas?”

“What about it?”

“He’s one of them Per.”

“WHAT?!”

“Yeah. Zayn Malik. Look him up. He’s one of the omegas that went missing. He was engaged to be bonded to some corporate multi-millionaire guy. Liam Payne but after Zayn went missing, it looks like the wanker moved on.”

She’s furiously googling as much information as she can while Louis looks over her shoulder.

“Oh shit Lou. Look at this. All omegas showed evidence and signs of physical abuse, torture and rumors of medical experimentation.”

“Yes and the bastards who did this to him and the others haven't been found. You can’t be alone Per. Not when going to work or leaving. Call me or Alex or one of your other friends. Coworkers even. Until those bastards are caught.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes and I can guarantee Alex will agree with me. Look at the pictures of all the missing omegas. Look at them. What do they have in common?”

She looks at the photos of them, admiring them. It’s only when she gets to the seventh or eighth picture that it clicks. Every one of the omegas that was kidnapped was extraordinarily beautiful. All of them could have been models. Each one of them had lived relatively normal lives but their looks set them apart. Louis sighs with relief when he realizes Perrie finally understands his cautions and warnings.

“Call Alex. You guys had a date tonight right? Have him come pick you up. Don’t meet him or if you are, I’ll take you.”

“No, he was going to pick me up anyway but shit Lou. This is horrible. What was Zayn doing out there by himself? Wondering the streets alone? Where the fuck is that dirtbag ex alpha of his?”

“I don’t know and the only person who can tell us is asleep. We don’t want to wake him up and he will probably sleep the night through. I’ll take the couch tonight. Go on. Get ready for your date. I’ll handle Zayn.”

“Are you sure? I can cancel. Alex will understand.”

“Nah. It’s alright. You go on and get ready. We’ll be alright.”

It’s later when Perrie is gone that Louis checks on Zayn to see him still asleep. He quickly grabs sweats and a shirt to sleep in and closes the bedroom door. Once he showers, he relaxes on the couch and pulls his phone off the charger and starts googling everything he can about Zayn. He finds out he was an up and coming artist prior to his kidnapping. He reads how he met Liam. Interviews with Liam popped up every so often but not a single one from Zayn. Despite being engaged to him, Zayn had never spoken publicly about his love life and even when paps followed him, he stayed quiet and never engaged with them. He was often described as mysterious and aloof but that wasn’t the vibe Louis got at all. Just from the few limited interactions they’d had he’d have pegged Zayn as shy and reserved. He tries to piece together what he can about Zayn in chronological order. From when he first surfaced online due to his relationship with Liam to his kidnapping, the years between and to when he was found after escaping his captors. There wasn’t much after that due to very likely the influence of Liam Payne and his close circle of friends keeping Zayn sheltered and away from the harsh glare of the media spotlight. 

Louis doesn’t know how long he researches but he does manage to find the hotline set up along with the name of the inspector leading the case. It’s really not his place to interfere in something like this but he saves the number in case Zayn needs to call and talk to someone about his whereabouts. He still doesn’t know why Zayn was wandering around late at night all alone but he had to figure someone somewhere was worried and looking for him. Confident he’d done all he could do for him that evening, he settles down with a pillow and blanket and wills himself to sleep.


	5. Lotus Flower

In the morning, Zayn wakes up to the smell of bacon frying. He’s not as disoriented as he’d been the previous night and feels slightly better. Laying on the dresser is his bag. He’d completely forgotten all about it. Taking out fresh clothes, he quietly walks out of the room and back into the large room where he sees Louis at the stove. Smiling widely at him, Louis gestures with the spatula at his hand.

“Breakfast will be ready in about 10 if you want to take a quick shower. Help yourself to anything you need. Mine is the vanilla scent and Perrie has the lily scented stuff.”

“Ummm...thanks.”

Padding off to the bathroom, Zayn makes quick work of showering and though he feels a little strange, he rather likes Louis’ vanilla shower gel over the strong flowery stuff. Once he’s done, he looks at himself and decides to forego shaving. The scruff just helps hide the thinness of his face. Leaving the bathroom, he makes sure to leave his used sweats and shirt in the hamper and walks back to the kitchen where Louis is just setting out plates for them. Zayn quietly sits and begins to eat, grateful that Louis is giving him the time and space to eat without pressuring him to talk. When they’re done, Louis quickly cleans up after them.

“Just sit and relax Zayn. It’s not a big deal. You’re a guest here.”

“Ummm...thanks.”

They’re both silent before Zayn asks Louis something that’s been weighing on his mind.

“Why are you being so nice to me? You don’t know me.”

Sighing, Louis shuts off the water and dries his hands.

“That’s true. I don’t know you but I know you’re in trouble and I know you need help whether you want it or not. I know who you are Zayn. I recognized you but that’s not why I’m helping you. Kindness doesn’t cost me anything. You can leave here right now if you like. I’ll give you some money to help you out and wish you good luck and I promise not to bother you if that’s what you would prefer or you could continue to stay here with Perrie and I until you figure out what it is you want to do with yourself and your life. The life you had before doesn’t exist anymore does it? You need to start anew. What better place than here in an artsy community with two people who actually do care about your well-being even if you don’t necessarily trust us. Look at it this way. We had ample opportunity to hurt you if that’s what we wanted to do but we didn’t. You can trust us Zayn.”

Just as he finishes speaking, the front door opens with a red-cheeked Perrie wrapped up in a large coat and scarf with a beanie on her head.

“It’s so cold out there! I’m so glad I don’t work today.”

“Welcome home traveler. Listen, I need to get ready for work. Think about what I said Zayn yeah? In the meantime, stay here today where it’s warm and safe. Perrie will be home. You two can watch movies. I’ll be back around 5. My clients come in early today.”

“Clients?”

“Yeah. I’m a tattoo artist here.”

Zayn’s eyes brighten at that news. He’s always wanted a tattoo. Maybe now’s the time once he gets on his feet and makes some money. Seeing the change in Zayn, Louis hesitates before he offers up a helping hand to Zayn.

“Did you want to come in with me today? You can hang out for a bit if you like.”

“Really? I’d love to.”

“Yeah? Let me get ready then we’ll go.”

While Louis gets ready, Perrie goes to change into lounging clothes. When she comes out, she makes herself tea and gestures towards the closed bathroom.

“That Louis. You can trust him Zayn. He’s not one of those asshole aggressive alphas that tries to intimidate omegas or force them to do what he wants. He’s protective but not a jerk about it.”

“He seems nice.”

“Hmmm...he is. You enjoy yourself today as much as you can at the tattoo parlor. I’ll tell you what. I’ll bring you boys lunch and if you want to come back afterwards, you and I can spend the rest of the day binge watching movies. Or we can do some shopping together. I need a new phone anyway. Look at this.”

She holds it up and grimaces at the glass cracks all over the screen.

“I’m terrible with phones. I keep dropping them, losing them or having them fall in unfortunate places. Alex says he’s going to invent one that’s waterproof, shatterproof and permanently attach it to my hand because that’s the only way my phone will last longer than three months.”

Her wry comment has Zayn laughing just as Louis steps out of the shower. He grins that Zayn is able to loosen up and unwind if only for a few moments. Once he’s dressed, he steps out with his coat and a spare one for Zayn.

“Here you go. It’s by far warmer than the one you had on when we found you.”

Shrugging it on, Zayn also takes the beanie Louis hands him and they leave. They walk silently together, close enough so that others know they’re walking together but with a respectable distance between them for Zayn’s comfort. It’s a short 15 minute walk to the tattoo parlor and Louis is relieved to see he’s not the first one to arrive. When he opens the door and steps in, Zayn is immediately assaulted by the scents of coffee, fresh paper and for some odd reason, coconut. The coconut scent is immediately explained when a heavily tattooed alpha looks up from some sketches he’s doing to smile at Louis then gives his curious gaze to Zayn.

“Zayn, this is my boss Scott. Scott, this is my future roommate Zayn.”

“Hey! Nice to meet you Zayn. So you’re replacing Perrie huh? Good luck. Tommo here can’t cook for shit. He may burn down your flat.”

“Oi! Shut it you.”

Laughing, Zayn doesn’t bother correcting the assumption he was Louis’ future roommate. It actually made their story more convincing and he really wasn’t in the mood to offer any explanations about himself.

“Jeez Lou. You sure know how to pick them.”

“Pick what?”

“Flat mates. First Perrie, now Zayn. Do you have a catalog of beautiful omegas hidden somewhere?”

Zayn blushes while Louis doesn’t respond other than to walk over to Scott and slap him on the back of the head. Laughing, Scott drops that topic and moves on to questioning Zayn.

“So what brings you here to hang out with Lou today?”

“Oh. I’m new to the area and Lou and Perrie offered to show me around, get me familiar with things.”

“That’s cool. Where are you from?”

“Bradford originally.”

“You’re a long way from home then. Well welcome and feel free to look around. If you see something you like, let me know. First one’s on the house.”

“What?”

“What?”

Both Louis and Zayn look surprised at the generous offer of the alpha who just smiles at Zayn.

“Listen. I’m originally from Wales. I know what it’s like to move far away from home and family and try to find your place in the hustle of this city. Consider it a welcome gift.”

“Is everyone around here always so friendly?”

“Nah. Most of the time people are real dicks and never see anything past their own nose but my dad used to tell me to always pay it forward. Look around. Tell me what you see and if anything strikes your fancy.”

Scott gets back to work while Louis shows him around. The parlor was a nice size with four stations set up. A back area held a storage room, a bathroom, Scott’s office and a small break room for employees to gather and have their lunches or dinners. 

As Louis sets up for his first client of the day, Zayn spends time looking over the sketch books. He sees so many he likes but they don’t call to him. They’re not quite what he’s looking for. He sees stacks of sketch books and grabs one along with a pencil and begins to idly draw. This was the first time since he’d returned that he felt the compulsion to draw something. He fills page after page with sketches and drawings but it’s the fifth page that has him hitching a breath. He’d drawn almost mindlessly but the sketch came to life. 

“That’s lovely right there.”

“Hmmmm?”

He’d been so busy sketching and drawing that he failed to realize both Louis and Scott had been standing behind him watching his nimble fingers draw figure after figure before settling on the one he was currently staring at.

“Is that what you want then? I can ink that on you right now if you like.”

Zayn looks up at the kind brown eyed alpha and reminded himself that perhaps after all the horrors he’d experienced in life, this was the universe’s way of paying him back. By putting people in his life that were genuinely honest and kind. Nodding, he gives the sketch to Scott and gives Louis a warm smile.

“What kind of flower is it?”

Louis’ question makes Zayn pause for a moment as he thinks of how best to answer.

“It’s a lotus flower. The lotus flower represents beauty, rebirth and harmony.”

Louis nods. Zayn doesn’t need to explain. As he sits in the chair, he smiles at Louis who is busy now with his own client. Louis had been right. His old life was gone. It was time for him to start moving on and moving forward and that’s exactly what he aimed to do.


	6. Moving On

“Are you ready mate?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am.”

Harry and Niall exchange looks as Liam continues to zone out, his eyes fixed on the fireplace of the large anteroom where they’re ready and waiting for the signal that the bonding ceremony is about to start. 

“Are you sure about this Liam? It’s still not too late…”

“Too late for what Niall?”

Liam’s face was bordering on angry, tinged with sadness. He knows what Niall wants to say but he doesn’t want to hear it. 

“It’s too late for regrets and to back out Niall so save your breath. 250 people did not take time out of their busy schedules and lives only for me to get cold feet. Everything will be fine.”

Liam walks away from them on the pretext of getting some fresh air prior to the start of the ceremony but Harry and Niall know him and know Liam wants to be alone. This was the day he’d often dreamed of and had talked about being the romantic that he was except there was something dreadfully wrong about it. The person Liam was going to bond with was the wrong person. It was supposed to be Zayn. 

“This isn’t right Harry.”

“I know Ni but what can we do? He’s dead set on going through with this and we can’t stop him. It’s his life and his decision.”

“Yeah...I just...I don’t know. I feel like shit over all of this. Still no word from Zayn?”

“No. I’ve looked and asked around and nothing. He just disappeared again except this time he did it on his own terms.”

“You don’t think he’s been taken again do you?”   
“No. Liam called Zayn’s doctors and the detectives working the case. It didn’t go so well.”

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“Liam didn’t tell you?”

“No. What happened?”

“Fuck. It’s also probably why Liam is so out of it. The detectives told Liam they were not authorized to disclose information about the case to him because he’s not Zayn’s alpha. Apparently Zayn called them this week to tell them that he wanted strict privacy on the case in regards to him and his whereabouts. He effectively cancelled Liam out altogether. Then before he could even recover from that information, one of the detectives warned Liam that trying to contact Zayn could result in a restraining order being put in place against him. I guess Zayn took preemptive measures to make sure Liam stays away. It was a huge blow to Liam to be told this.”

“Holy shit. I take it his doctors said the same thing?”

“Yes but they took it a step further.”

“This doesn’t sound good.”

“Zayn did the same with his doctors but also removed Liam and both of us from his emergency contacts. The three of us were not just cancelled out. He replaced our names with others.”

“What?!”

“Yeah. They couldn’t tell us who for privacy reasons but all they could tell Liam was that it was Zayn’s request and his right as an unmated omega to put a different alpha as his point of contact. Liam was furious, demanding to know who Zayn listed since as far as we know, we’re the only alphas Zayn knows. Liam was a right mess last night wondering about all this. Wondering what was going on with Zayn”

“Truth is I can’t say I’m all that surprised. We were shit friends to Zayn when he needed us the most. We let Liam lie and lied for him and look at what it cost us? We lost our friend and have no way of finding him short of being stalkers and hiring a detective.”

“Yeah. Let’s not get that pathetic.”

“Liam briefly had that idea but I convinced him to stop. He made his choice. Now he has to respect Zayn’s choice as well. He was angry and didn’t like it but at the end of the day, he’s sticking with his decision.”

“So he’s going through with this farce?”

“I guess so. I don’t know what else to do or say. He won’t listen to reason.”

Both men sigh as a light tapping on the door of the anteroom alerts them that it’s time. The omega has just arrived and the ceremony would begin shortly. Harry and Niall exchange looks of commiseration as Liam returns to the room and nods to them. They follow him silently as they go take their places at the front of the church where the ceremony would begin. It’s only a few minutes later that the doors open and they see Liam’s omega making her way down the aisle in the arms of her father. 

Not once does Liam crack a smile.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Tell me again how it happened Perrie?”

Louis, Zayn and Perrie were walking as she recapped the story of how she’d managed to kill yet another phone while breaking her wrist at the same time.

“It was during the move! Alex’s wretched cat kept walking in front of me or between my legs trying to trip me up. He finally caught me good as I was holding a box with my hats and scarves. He ran between my legs, I stumbled but couldn’t catch myself this time. I fell awkwardly on my wrist and it ended up breaking while that evil cat went to the windowsill to lick itself in satisfaction at my misery.”

Zayn and Louis laugh at her story, both shaking their heads at the strange accidents and problems Perrie frequently finds herself in the center of. She was often a magnet for trouble.

“Alex and I were at the hospital and only now am I getting around to getting a new phone. But we can kill two birds with one stone yeah? We can pick one up for Zayn now that he’s gainfully employed and all.”

Zayn blushes while both Louis and Perrie smile at him. It was true. He’d been with them for a week and it felt like they’d known each other all their lives. The three of them just fit well together. Their friendship was growing as Zayn slowly started to open up to them while they let him take his time and never pushed him to talk about his past, Liam or his years in captivity. It was because of them that he’d found a job. Thanks to Scott, he’d put Zayn in contact with a buddy of his that owned an art supply store four shops away from the tattoo shop. On recommendations from Louis, Perrie and her alpha Alex (and all of them lying about the number of years they’d known Zayn), he was set to begin his new job on Monday. The job was far from glamorous but he didn’t mind. He was employed and making a decent wage, he had a place to live and new friends. Things were finally looking up for him in his life and for that he was grateful. Now thanks to Perrie’s accident, he was going to also get a new phone, yet another small but powerful signal to the universe that he was taking control of his life. Perrie was officially moved in with her alpha Alex and Zayn had officially moved in with Louis. His bedroom was pretty bare at the moment with just a bed, dresser and a nightstand as well as a closet with only a few items in it but it was a good start. Perrie had left him plenty of sheets, blankets and throws insisting he keep them because Alex had more than enough and his high body temperature kept her warm anyway. It also helped that he and Louis were of similar builds (minus the rather large bum Louis sported that Zayn sadly did not) so Louis would encourage Zayn to raid his closet if he needed to. He sometimes felt like he was taking advantage but after meeting Louis’ mum once when she dropped by to leave some items for Louis, he realized Louis came by his caring nature naturally. She was a sweetheart and very motherly instantly taking to Zayn as if he were one of her own. It was after spending an hour with her that he’d stopped questioning Louis’ motives and accepted that there were some genuinely good people in the world. It had only been a week and already Zayn was feeling happy. He was happy for the first time in a long time.

“Anyway, I’m glad we all have today to spend together. With the move and all, I was a little worried we wouldn’t see each other.”

“Perrie love? You live two blocks away.”

At Zayn’s laugh, she pokes him in the ribs before pouting.

“Yeah but it’s different now innit? I’m just glad Alex isn’t one of those knothead alphas that screens my friends and tries to dictate how much time I spend with you.”

“Believe me, we’re glad too aren’t we Zayn?”

Zayn smiles and nods, content to let them do the bulk of the talking. They finally reach the store and proceed to kill over an hour as Perrie takes her time selecting the right phone, the right color case and debating the merits of accessories for her new phone. Zayn is easier to work with. He immediately goes for a sleek silver iPhone with a black case. He keeps the accessories to just a charger and a spare, just in case. He smiles happily when Louis becomes his first contact followed by Perrie, Scott, Alex and the numbers for both the tattoo parlor and his new place of employment, Renegade Arts. At Louis’ slight prompt, he adds in the names and numbers for his doctors and the two detectives he’s spoken to about his ongoing case. When Louis moves to try to get Perrie to hurry because he’s hungry, Zayn goes back to his contacts and adds two more names: Niall Horan and Harry Styles.

He closes his phone after that, ignoring the brief pang of guilt he feels for not including Liam in his contacts but this is what he needed. To get full closure, he needs to cut Liam out of his life for good. When Perrie finally finishes, they all walk out cheerful and begin a small argument about the merits of pizza for lunch or trying a new restaurant Louis had discovered recently. Their cheerful banter is broken up when someone stops them from continuing their walk. Curious as to what’s going on, they realize that it’s clearly some fancy event taking place with security in place and photographers around the area.

“What on earth?”   
“Let’s just cross the street while these idiots block everyone else. So stupid the things the rich and famous get away with.”

“No! I wanna see!”   
“Oh come on Perrie. Who cares? It’s probably some D-list YouTube star who thinks they’re a celebrity or something and hired the paps to make themselves look important.”

Perrie’s retort to Louis and Zayn is promptly cut off when the doors open and a small crowd of people are cheering and blowing bubbles. As the crowd shifts, Perrie, Louis and Zayn get their first look at the alpha and omega coming down the stairs smiling and laughing.

Louis feels Zayn stiffen in shock when he sees Liam smiling happily at the omega looking at him with a soft expression on her face. Louis looks at Zayn with concern when he feels him stiffen. It’s only moments later that he realizes why. As the couple reach the Rolls Royce car waiting for them, the alpha looks up and the smile is wiped from his face as he goes pale. Liam stares at Zayn, shocked to see him only a few feet away. Their moment is broken when Maya tugs at Liam’s arm and Louis wraps his arm around Zayn’s waist. When Liam looks back to where Zayn is at, he finds only people swirling around and waiting for their cars as everyone gears up to attend the reception.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Let’s go. Now.”

When Louis recognized Liam’s face from the television and news articles he’d read about him, he knew he needed to get Zayn away. Perrie didn’t question him as both of them swiftly guided Zayn away using the crowd of people as cover for their getaway. All thoughts of food are forgotten as they hurry to get Zayn home. When they reach their flat, they both watch helplessly as Zayn curls up on the couch and gives the most heartbreaking sobs they’ve ever heard. Both of them wrap themselves around him as he cries and grieves for what he’d lost and the heartbreak he’d just endured seeing the man he loved bonded with someone else. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Liam! Why are you hiding out here? It’s a party! Let’s go celebrate!”

“Congrats again mate!”

Harry and Niall are in a festive mood after a few drinks and all the celebratory toasts are done. Now the real party begins after the bonding ceremony only to be finished off when Liam and Maya leave for the actual mating. Both immediately notice the pensive look on Liam’s face as he stares out at the gardens of the venue. 

“Li? What’s wrong?”   
“I saw him.”

Years of friendship had both Niall and Harry immediately knowing who Liam was talking about and both stand by his side as he continues to brood.

“What? When?”   
“Earlier today after the ceremony. Maya and I had reached the car when I felt him. It’s still there. Our bond. I looked up and he was staring at me with those eyes. I felt like hell because in that moment, I knew I was wrong. I wronged him so much and it was too late. Then I saw HIM.”

The last word was said with such vehemence and anger that both Harry and Niall are taken aback.

“Ummm...who did you see?”   
“The alpha. The one he was with. That bastard put his fucking hands on Zayn. He had his arm around his waist as if Zayn belonged to him. Maya pulled at me and in that moment of distraction, he was gone. Zayn was gone.”

There’s silence for a brief moment before Niall finally speaks up.

“So what Liam? Why the fuck do you care? What did you expect him to do?”

Both Liam and Harry look at Niall in surprise but Niall isn’t done. Not by a long shot.

“You listen and you listen well Liam Payne. You need to get your head out of your arse and stop feeling sorry for yourself. This shit right here? It’s on you. You lied to Zayn. You led him on and you chose HER over HIM. Stop playing the fucking victim. You had several opportunities to postpone this shit and sort things out with Zayn. You had plenty of time to talk to him, explain things to him and see what happened from there but you chose to be a coward and ignore him thinking everything would sort itself out but it didn’t. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. It’s time you let Zayn go for good. You bonded yourself to Maya and you’re the one that has to live with that. If Zayn has moved on with that alpha or not, it’s not your bloody business. Nothing he does is your business anymore. Let him go Liam. For the sake of your omega and mate, let him go.”

Liam wants to be angry. He wants to argue back because what does Niall know? He never had to endure the hell that Liam did.

Except he did. Though it was different, Niall and Harry had both loved Zayn and his loss had been a blow to them as well. He’d just been too steeped in his own misery to realize that they too were hurting and now he’d gone and fucked it all up again with his irrational focus on only himself and ignoring how they too had been hurt by his actions. They’d lost their friendship with Zayn because of him. They too had made their choice and looking back, he realized none of them had chosen Zayn. Sighing, Liam hangs his head low and gives a short nod of acknowledgement. 

“You’re right. I have to let him go for both our sakes.”

“No Liam. You have to let him go for your sake, his and your omega. It’s not fair to her to be bonded to someone who thinks of someone else. You need to let him go for her sake as well.”

“Well here you three are! I was starting to think my alpha had run off.”

The three men turn to see Maya standing by the open French doors staring at them. Though there was a smile on her face, there was something in her eyes Harry and Niall had not seen before. It made them both wonder if she had overheard the entire exchange but as she moved forward to take Liam’s hand in hers, she smiled at them both as if nothing was wrong.

“It’s almost time to go darling. Then we can make it official.”

Without waiting for a response, she tugs Liam’s hand to lead him inside, not giving him a chance to say goodbye to his friends. After their mating night they would fly directly to Italy to begin their honeymoon as a newly mated couple. They’d be gone for three weeks and he wouldn’t see or talk to his friends during this time.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The sun rises as Zayn continues to stare out the large windows of his bedroom. He didn’t sleep much and neither had Louis. Perrie had finally gone home with Alex leaving Louis to stay with Zayn and offer comfort and solace. He feels an arm around his waist tighten and knows Louis is starting to wake up. Louis had been extremely reluctant to leave Zayn alone after his desperate bout of weeping so instead he’d stayed with Zayn and had offered hugs and comfort as Zayn finally opened up to him completely about what he’d endured. They’d talked for hours but as the night wore on, Zayn began to feel better. Louis was an excellent listener, never giving Zayn false hope or useless platitudes. He just listened. Though it had been painfully difficult for Zayn to open up, once he was done, he had felt remarkably better. It was as if finally talking about everything had taken the poison out of a wound that had been festering for too long. When he was finished, they’d just lain together in comfortable silence. When the sun had finally dulled all the shadows in his room, he turned to look at Louis and offered him a real smile.

“How about I make breakfast today?”   
Louis smiles because he understands. Zayn is hurting but he’s also ready to start moving on. That’s a good step in the right direction.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Across the building, a figure hidden in shadows watches the large windows that weren’t covered. Silly really. You’d think they’d have closed the curtains but by leaving them wide open, they had been given free reign to watch Zayn all night. Zayn and the alpha he lived with. It was an interesting development and could possibly be a complication but nothing that couldn’t be handled. As the figure puts down a set of binoculars, they stand and stretch before closing their own curtains to get a few hours of sleep. The vigil on Zayn would continue later.


	7. Tate

**_One Year Later…_ **

The case of the missing omegas no longer dominated the headlines and the case had gone cold. None of the omegas could offer much in the way of detail regarding their kidnappers, their time in captivity or their captors. The files found on the laptops and tech within the cabin compound had been corrupted. Breaking the encryptions had been challenging but the information was incomplete. They’d managed to figure out that medical experimentation had been performed on the omegas to inhibit their omega tendencies and hopefully instill some alpha-like behaviors in them. Experimentation of that nature was highly illegal not to mention extremely dangerous but so far, all the omegas had somewhat if not fully adjusted to life out of captivity. Zayn and the other omegas still went to weekly therapy sessions as well as monthly medical examinations due to the imbalance of their hormones from the experimentation. All of them found that they were stronger than the average omega, had better reflexes and hearing and none of them had experienced a heat since they had been saved. The doctors treating them were slowly working on ways to help revert them back to their natural omega states because some of the unfortunate side effects they experienced were wild mood swings, nightmares associated with their trauma and they were prone to dropping faster and easier due to the surge in hormones in their bodies. Still, Zayn attended his appointments without complaint and Louis would patiently wait for him and never asked prying questions unless Zayn offered up information. The year had been both challenging and fulfilling and though he never was much for faith or religion, Zayn often offered up thanks to the universe for allowing him to find his freedom, his strength and to find new purpose in his life. He was also always grateful for his new friends, Louis and Perrie. Without them, he knew the past year would have been hell and he didn’t think he could have survived it without them. 

So much had happened in the past year that after all the drama, the tears and the hardships. Zayn had finally accepted that life had continued without him and it was time for him to move on. 

He’d begun his new job at the art supply store, Renegade Arts and within a few short months, he’d been promoted to store manager largely in part because the previous one had quit and the owner was newly bonded and wanted to spend a bit more time at home with their mate. Zayn had implemented a few changes with the permission of the owner and had started displaying art done by locals. His rationale had been that even though their primary job was to sell art supplies, the store itself could be a small hub where local artists could have completed works displayed, sold and in turn, they received more word of mouth advertising from artists who were soon clamoring to have their work displayed. Many of them were young struggling painters, sculptors, glass blowers and jewelry makers. It was a mutually beneficial agreement. Though the shop could not pay the artists, they would display their work for a window of time and sell it for them with 75% of the profits going to the artist and the shop garnering 25% of the sales. It was a far more generous deal than what a proper studio and contract would give them and it had been a success from the start. Things had been working out great and Zayn thought things couldn’t get any better.

Except something unexpected had happened. 

After much urging (and harassing and outright bullying by both Perrie and Louis), Zayn had agreed to display some of his own artwork at the shop. He’d been embarrassed and hesitant about it but the owner had been enthusiastic about the idea. His belief was that it gave the shop more authenticity and credibility if one of his own workers had work displayed there. 

With reluctance, Zayn had agreed and had finally reached out to long lost friends for their help to find out what had been done with all the work he’d done before his disappearance. Niall and Harry had stored and locked away all his work after he’d gone missing and it had been too painful for Liam to hold on to them. Year after year they paid the storage fees and now the keys were with their rightful owner, Zayn. He’d gone with Louis one afternoon and Louis had been gobsmacked as he’d looked over the large storage unit filled with carefully covered and maintained paintings, sketches and to his surprise, several notebooks filled with poems and short stories written by Zayn. Louis didn’t want to pry but had made a note to ask Zayn about it later. Once they’d gone through an inventory of the art, Zayn had selected two canvases and three small sketches he’d had framed in simple black that depicted scenes of a mime in the rain. He’d thought it whimsical when he’d done the sketches years ago and had framed them to display at the shop. Though he’d placed them far in the back, it had been random luck that a customer had come in to pick up some frames he’d ordered and had instead stopped and stared at the work. He’d inquired about the paintings and Zayn had answered his questions not bothering to think twice about it. It was common for other artists to ask about the art. Much to his surprise, the man had returned a few days later dressed in a suit and wanting to talk to Zayn about his art. 

The man had introduced himself as John Griffin, art director of the Tate Modern Museum. On his free days, he enjoyed walking the art districts of London and seeing what kind of work unknown artists were doing. He’d stopped by the store and had immediately been drawn to the canvases in the back. Though he wasn’t an agent by any means, he’d given Zayn the business card of an agent he was friends with and had a business relationship with. He’d encouraged Zayn to call her and meet with her and see about getting his work professional representation. Though he was grateful, Zayn’s own shy and quiet nature had taken over and it had been Louis who had finally convinced him to call the agent. Zayn had immediately enjoyed her. Sophia was a shrewd and soft-spoken alpha with a killer instinct when it came to art. She’d convinced Zayn to show her his work from storage and along with Louis, they’d gone and had stood silently while she inspected canvas after canvas. She had not said a word, her expression giving nothing away. When she was done, she’d invited them to lunch and by the end of the day, Zayn was signed as a new artist under agent Sophia Keller at MTArt Agency.

Once that had happened, things had begun to change for Zayn at a rate that made his head spin. Within two months of signing with her, she’d arranged for his work to be displayed at the Tate Modern Museum of Art during their yearly exhibit to showcase emerging artists. Titled ANGELS OF ANARCHY, the exhibit was to showcase bold and visionary art done by new and emerging artists that pushed the boundaries of modern and contemporary art. 

Now here he was, renting the second floor attic space of the shop at a big discount to use as his studio when the urge to paint and work overcame him. The space wasn’t particularly large but it held his supplies, the lighting was decent and he’d bought a second-hand couch to have on hand in case he worked too long and decided to crash there instead of walking back home. He was always careful to let Louis know if he was spending the night at the studio but he didn’t often stay there. Or at least he tried not to. Despite his therapy sessions, he still had trauma associated with his kidnapping and avoided being left alone at night. He felt safer with Louis in their apartment. 

Louis

His best friend and his life line. He’d offered Zayn so much and asked for nothing in return. They hung out together on their off days and free time, gotten tattoos together and Zayn had even let Louis tattoo him. When Louis’ ruts hit, he arranged for Zayn to stay with Perrie and her alpha since he knew Zayn did not like being alone. Now the two men were walking to the storage unit to meet up with Niall and Harry. Louis had his reservations about meeting them but Zayn’s therapist had insisted to Zayn that it was important to reconcile his past before he could really embrace his future. To Zayn, that meant having his two oldest friends meet his best friend and the most important person in Zayn’s life now. His relationship with Niall and Harry was still a work in progress. They did text and had met up for coffee or lunch a few times but things were different. The subject of Liam was strictly off limits and both Niall and Harry had noticed the lingering smell of a different alpha on Zayn but they had not asked. Zayn rarely mentioned Louis or Perrie to them so neither felt bold enough to ask him which was a sign that there was still strain in their friendship. Hopefully this random meeting at the storage unit would help them get over the awkwardness they all sometimes felt.

Once they arrive, Louis and Zayn wait outside the building smoking while they wait for Niall and Harry to show up.

“So you’re just gonna spring this on them?”

“I wanted to surprise them.”

“Uh-huh.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means Zayn, that you could have met up with them to tell them yourself or sent them an invitation. You asked me to come help you find some canvases and you invited them as well. What’s really going on?”

Zayn sighed as he threw his cigarette to the ground. Louis could see right through him sometimes.

“It’s just, something my therapist said. I’ve worked hard to move on but I’m still running from parts of it. Niall and Harry were my friends before…”

“Before you were taken and now you want us to be friends or at least be able to get along right?”

Zayn bubbled out a laugh. 

“It’s like you could read my mind.”

Laughing, Louis embraces Zayn and gives him a hug, lightly scenting him before whispering to him.

“It’s alright love. I promise to be on my best behavior yeah? I’ll be nice.”

They’re interrupted by the clearing of a throat. As they let go of each other, Zayn blushes when he sees Niall smiling widely and Harry staring at them both with raised eyebrows.

“Hi. Hey. Ummm...good to see you both.”

Zayn is a blushing mess as he hugs both Niall and Harry before turning to introduce them to Louis.

“Niall, Harry, this is my flatmate and best friend Louis Tomlinson. Lou, this is Niall Horan and Harry Styles. Friends from...before.”

“Hey. Nice to meet you guys.”

Louis is friendly and smiles as he shakes Niall’s hand and then Harry’s. Niall is all smiles while Harry remains quiet and watches Louis and Zayn carefully but like Louis, Niall is good at making people feel comfortable and very friendly.

“So why the invite out here Zayn? You said you had something you wanted to tell us.”

“Oh right. Yeah. Let’s go to the unit first.”

As the four men enter the storage units building and walk to where Zayn’s work is held, Harry frowns as he sees the way Louis puts his hand on Zayn’s waist and how Zayn is so comfortable with him. When they reach the unit, Zayn swiftly unlocks it while Louis opens the unit. As the four men step into the climate controlled unit with canvasses stacked along the sides, Zayn walks over to one set and runs his hands over the tops.

“Ummm...I wanted to ask you each to select one canvas.”

Confusion is the best way to describe the expressions on Louis, Harry and Niall’s faces.

“Lou already knows but I wanted to tell you two something amazing that happened. I have an agent now. My work is going to be displayed at the Tate Modern Museum of Art during their Angels of Anarchy exhibit. I’m one of a dozen selected artists that will be showcased there.”

There’s silence as Niall and Harry process the news before they cheer for Zayn and give him big hugs that lift him off the ground. Laughing, Zayn lets them twirl him around the unit before he’s finally put down on the ground and he can finish what he was saying to them.

“Anyway, I wanted to ask the three of you to select a canvas. Each artist is to have a dozen pieces for the exhibit that best represents a sub-theme that the artist selects. I wanted to ask you three to look through them and find one that you think best represents me and who I am as a person.”

“Sure Zee. We can do that. What’s your sub-theme?”

“I can’t tell you that. I don’t want to influence your pick.”

Smiling, the three men start to look and sort through the canvases as they each look for one piece that strikes them as being an accurate depiction of Zayn’s personality. As they look around, Zayn takes out his phone and carefully looks over the inventory of his canvases. He doesn’t want to influence their decisions in any way so he waits silently, the occasional murmurs of voices washing over him. Niall is the first one to finish, holding a canvas depicting a scene of a figure with wings in the air. 

_ Icarus Falls _

Harry then selects one that has the silhouette of an older man and a young boy in his lap. Upon closer inspection, you see that it’s the same person. A representation of past morphing into the present.

_ Mind of Mine _

Louis selects the last piece. It’s a much darker piece than the other two and one Zayn had painted upon his return to the real world. It’s a large canvas filled with faces. Colorful faces with empty eyes. A few have small brief lines across what would and should be their mouths. The canvas is colorful but not a happy piece. From the moment he’d seen it, Louis had wondered about it but all Zayn would tell him was the title of the piece.

_ Nobody Is Listening _

He felt that people needed to make up their own mind about the meaning behind a piece. When the three had made their selections, they packed them up and Louis held them as they left the unit. Once outside, Zayn reached into his pocket and took out two small embossed ivory invitations.

“Ummm...these are invitations to opening night of the exhibit. Opening night is by invitation only before it opens to the public. I wanted to have you both there if you can make it.”

“Of course Zee. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

As the men say their goodbyes, Zayn and Louis walk back to their flat while Harry and Niall get into Harry’s Range Rover and drive away.

“Well that was...interesting.”

“What? I thought it was nice to see Zee, meet his alpha and help him. What’s the matter?”

“That Louis guy Niall. Zayn is fragile. How do we know he can be trusted with Zayn? How do we know he’s not taking advantage of an omega in a vulnerable situation?”

“You worry too much H. Zayn is an excellent judge of character and he wouldn’t still be with this Louis if he didn’t trust him. You saw him. Were there any signs of distress?”

“Well...no…”

“In fact, Zayn was rather tactile with him when he’s not exactly the cuddliest person so that means he trusts him implicitly. You shouldn’t worry about that. What you should worry about is Liam finding out we’re on speaking terms with Zayn and will be attending his exhibit.”

That statement quiets both men. Since they had reconnected with Zayn, they had not mentioned his name once to Liam and Liam had not asked about him. It was a silent agreement between them as well that the subject of Zayn was not to be talked about. The exhibit was in a month which gave them time to decide how to broach the subject to Liam.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

As Maya sat in her home office, she starts going through the mail her assistant brought her. Invitations to parties and other social events. She looks through them carefully before sorting them into piles. One group is for the events she just can’t attend. Another pile is for events she will attend alone and the last is for joint events between her and Liam. She opens one and places it into the pile for both of them to attend. Liam is a patron of the arts and though she could care less, she knows it would make for good press that they are attending an exhibit for new artists. Marking it as To Be Accepted, she puts the details into her calendar and adds it to Liam’s. Satisfied that all is in order, she then decides to call her stylist to see about a stylish new gown to wear for the exhibit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for such a delay. All my fics are being updated as we speak. For those reading Untameable, it will be updated tomorrow and the other two Power Play and The Broken Bond either tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest. Thank you for your patience.


	8. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've been horrible about updating lately for no other reason than bc real life keeps dragging me away. Thank you for still sticking with this story as well as the others I'm in the process of updating.

“What was I thinking? This isn’t my usual style. LOUIS! GET YOUR ARSE IN HERE! LOUIS!”

“You yelled?”

Louis poked his head into Zayn’s room and smiled. 

“You look fantastic Zee. You really do.”

“I look like a frosted cupcake! Why did I let you talk me into this thing?”

“I didn’t talk you into it. You kept staring at it and it was practically screaming your name.”

“I’m wearing a pink suit to the art gallery’s opening night. A PINK SUIT LOU!”

“Alright. Let’s just calm down yeah?”

Louis steps further into Zayn’s room and immediately pulls Zayn into his arms and scents him. Doing so has the expected effect. Zayn goes lax in his arms as he starts to take in deep breaths of Louis’ calming scent. 

“Relax, love. It will be alright. Remember what I told you. Everyone there expects to see a brooding artist in black because that’s what they see as the stereotype. Every other featured artist I can guarantee will look morose and goth and emo in black while you will be the quiet mysterious gorgeous O in pink.”

That too had come as a surprise. When the ads for the exhibit had come out, it had featured snapshots of their work but had not listed their names or shown their faces. Once Opening Night was concluded, the ads were going to be redone to showcase the artists. Featuring prominently on the ads and flyers was Zayn. He was going to be the only Omega showcased in this exhibit and the first one to headline it if all went according to the projections and the buzz that had been building. His agent Sophia had practically cackled with glee when she’d told Zayn and Louis that the board had determined they wanted to put a new face to modern and contemporary art and what better way to do that than to have an omega be the centerpiece of the exhibit? All the artists were bringing in the same amount of work but Zayn’s was featuring prominently in the gallery. He still had not told anyone his sub-theme to go with the overall theme Angels of Anarchy. He figured it would be a surprise for everyone when they arrived at the gallery. As per Sophia’s instructions, this wasn’t the time to be fashionably late. The gallery required all the featured artists to be present before they opened the doors for everyone to greet the patrons as they walked through and enjoyed the art. 

Once Zayn has fully relaxed, Louis pulls away but keeps his hands on Zayn’s shoulders.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah. I think so. Let’s do this.”

“Good boy. I’ll be there with you and won’t leave your side unless you tell me to fuck off and even then I’ll still be close.”

Laughing, Zayn takes Louis’ hand as they walk out hand in hand to the car Sophia had arranged to take Zayn to and from the exhibit.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Liam? Darling? It’s time to get going!”

Looking herself over in the mirror, Maya did a twirl as her stylist adjusted the jeweled clasp of her dress. She’d chosen to wear a multicolored gown with netting in flashing colors of red and silver. The gown itself was a combination of metallic pastels designed to catch the eye. With a thigh high slit, it was sure to make the front pages of the society columns as well as have her trending on Twitter and keeping social media buzzing. Her large wedding & engagement ring set had been cleaned and sparkled brightly, another little thing to add to the buzz surrounding her. Liam was in a basic black suit, elegant and classic. She’d selected the outfit herself to both compliment her and to make sure he did not outshine her. She’s distracted by Liam’s appearance, his face set in its usual stoic lines. He gives her a cursory smile and an air kiss on the cheek before giving her the usual compliment he tends to give her whenever they go somewhere.

“You look lovely Maya.”

She accepts as she always does, with an air kiss and a tight smile.

To say that their relationship was flawed was putting it mildly. Once they’d returned from their honeymoon, the distance between them had started to grow. Maya wanted to be more visible on social media. She felt that increasing her presence would help grow her modeling career. Liam had wanted to start a family but she had quickly made it clear that while yes, she did want a family eventually, that was years away. She was young and in her prime and having a family right now would be hurtful for her career. Little by little, the carefully crafted persona Liam had met and thought he had fallen in love with began to be stripped away until one day he’d woken up to realize he was now stuck in a loveless bond with a mate who had told him everything he wanted to hear. Once the honeymoon was over, his rose colored glasses had finally come off but still Liam held on. Though he never mentioned his problems or talked about these issues with Harry and Niall, he knew they were more than aware that something wasn’t right. Their weekly get-togethers were his saving grace. He looked forward to those days because they allowed him to relax, to be himself and to listen to Harry and Niall’s talk of the single life. Though he tried not to dwell on it because it felt like a betrayal to his bond with Maya, he sometimes allowed himself to feel a brief flash of envy. The only topic that was an unspoken off-limits agreement was the subject of Zayn. He never brought him up and neither did they. 

“Darling? The car is waiting.”

Liam’s thoughts are interrupted by Maya reminding him that they needed to leave. As usual, she had it all planned out for maximum effect. When they arrived, they wouldn’t be fashionably late but they’d certainly make an entrance.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“How do you think this is gonna go?”

“Like shit to be honest.”

“Do you think we should have warned them?”

“No. It’s best if we stay out of it Niall. Telling Zayn that Liam and his mate were going to attend would only hurt Zayn. Telling Liam that this art exhibit they’re attending features Zayn would only hurt him. You and I would get stuck in the middle and trust me. That’s not where we want to be at all.”

“I don’t see good things happening tonight Harry. I’ve got a bad feeling about it.”

“So do I but it’s out of our hands. We’re friends with both and we don’t take sides remember?”

Neither men speak much after that. There’s not much to say as their shared car approaches the entrance where they’ll be dropped off. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Zayn is blown away by the exhibit. Though the doors were closed to the public for now, Zayn and Louis were ushered in quickly so that Zayn could be given the timeline of events as well as what to expect and who to impress. Names of art critics as well as those of patrons of the museum were given to him though he knew it would be hopeless to even try to remember them. For that, the museum had special discreet docents available to work with the artists as “assistants” so that they knew who the critics were, the patrons as well as others who needed to be impressed. Louis could see how overwhelming it was for Zayn so he kept close to his side, his arm looping around his waist in silent support. Most would assume he was Zayn’s alpha and neither of them bothered to correct the assumption. It was easier that way and both were comfortable enough around each other to let people assume that without all the awkwardness that would normally follow. Most people just didn’t seem to understand that an alpha and an omega could be close friends without romance involved.

“Attention artists, the doors are opening in a few minutes.”

With that announcement, there was a sudden undercurrent of energy flowing through the building. Zayn took Louis by the hand and walked him to the area of the museum where his work was displayed. He takes a deep breath before they go from the main entrance lobby to the display galleries and Louis stops dead. He takes a sharp breath as he looks at the art as it is displayed in an aesthetically pleasing fashion to highlight the scope of Zayn’s talent. But it’s not the overall atmosphere that makes him stop. It’s the art itself. Though each artist had a dozen pieces displayed and Louis already knew about half of the ones Zayn had selected, he’d kept the others private for a reason and now Louis could see why. The subtheme Zayn had selected was called Metamorphosis.

Mounted in the center were three self-portraits. In the first, he saw a very young Zayn. He couldn’t have been more than maybe 16 in the portrait but he was smiling, carefree and happy. The second portrait was darker, more disturbing to look at and for Louis, he knew it had to have been extremely painful for Zayn to have created it. It was Zayn curled up in the fetal position of a cell. His eyes were covered by a black blindfold, his body clothed in a thin gown and he looked distressingly thin. Upon closer inspection, you could see the tracks tears had left on his skin and the scars of ligatures around his ankles and wrists. The third was one that had to have been completed only recently. It showed Zayn as he was now. Zayn was shirtless in the painting, tattoos on display and he was looking out at something only he could see. There was a hint of a smile on his face in the last painting but what caught Louis’ attention about that one was that Zayn had painted himself inside of Louis’ bedroom. The other paintings were as powerful as the self-portraits but the one that blew him away was one he knew had to be new. The image was stark, just two sets of arms with entwined hands over a table overlooking a sunset. The hands he knew well because one set belonged to Zayn and the other belonged to Louis. The tattoos alone gave them away but the scene itself was another imprinted in Louis’ memory because it was their little Sunday evening ritual to sit on the little table on the small excuse for a balcony attached to their apartment and have their dinner outside when weather permits. Neither of them were morning people so having a shared meal in the evening suited them both well. A lump grows in his throat when he sees Zayn titled the portrait Home.

Turning to Zayn, he sees the apprehensive look on his face before he enfolds him in a hug.

“It’s beautiful Zee. Absolutely perfect.”

He feels the tension drain from Zayn as he holds him. To his surprise, Zayn withdraws from the hug but gives Louis a light tentative kiss and a shy smile before he lets him go to prepare for the onslaught of people now filtering through the doors of the museum. Louis smiles at Zayn and eases a few steps away as he watches the surge of people start walking towards the exhibits. He watches as the “assistant” whispers to Zayn about the people making their way forward. Confident that Zayn would be alright for a few moments, Louis catches his eye and nods towards where the bar is set up to get them both a drink. Zayn smiles back as he turns his attention back to the people in front of him complimenting his work and asking questions as they took several notes. A photographer in the background made sure to get several pictures of Zayn with the guests as he had been instructed.

**********************************************

Harry and Niall were more than impressed. Zayn had been surrounded by photographers, critics, patrons and museum staff every time they tried to go talk to him so they ended up going through the exhibits, both of them agreeing that Zayn’s was the best. 

“You boys enjoying yourselves?”

Both turn to see Louis holding a glass of champagne and looking at them curiously. Harry still doesn’t trust Louis so he says nothing while Niall cheerfully taps his glass against Louis in a toast.

“We are. Zayn is brilliant isn’t he?”

“He is and he’ll be very glad to see you both came. He was right nervous today. Had a meltdown over the suit he picked out. Kept saying he looked like a cupcake.”

As Niall laughed, Harry continued his silent assessment of Louis before finally speaking.

“I see you made it into his art.”

Louis raised his eyebrows at Harry before cooly replying to him.

“I did.”

Neither man speaks for a moment before Niall rolls his eyes at the two of them and pushes them both slightly on their shoulders.

“Enough of that. We’re here for Zayn. Let’s go rescue him. That lady with him has been talking his ear off for over 10 minutes now and he looks like he wants to stab her with something.”

The three of them go to Zayn and with his skill for charming people away, Niall manages to get the older beta patron to go look at the other exhibits giving Zayn momentary relief.

“Thank you. She kept going on and on about not just my art but making subtle hints that she has a fascination for younger male omegas. She was as subtle as a truck crashing into a bloody building.”

As the four men roar with laughter at his description, another couple enters the exhibit.

Maya smiles gracefully at the photographers calling them for pictures. Liam was a patron of the arts and he looked forward to seeing the new artists. They make it past the foyer and into the galleries when Liam stops in stunned silence.

Featured right in the center of the exhibit was none other than Zayn. Liam immediately recognized his art. Maya was oblivious to them as she still had her polite smile on and was looking around to make sure she was being captured at her best angles. It’s only when Liam stops a second time that she looks to see what caught his attention.

Standing there by three wonderfully done self-portraits is none other than Zayn. Maya also feels the anger roll off Liam when he sees Harry and Niall standing with Zayn and another alpha. She looks at them again and a feline smile graces her features as the alpha with the startling blue eyes leans in, wraps his arm around Zayn’s waist and kisses him in front of everyone.


End file.
